e
first part of the way--the mile and a half to the little village of East
Bassett. To be sure, she had never before been even that far alone, but
she had been many times with other girls. She passed slowly and
lingeringly through the village. Should she turn back now? Before her
flashed the face of Olga with that little cold mocking smile, and she
saw again Louise Johnson hopping her handkerchief rabbit across her lap.
The incredulous laughter with which the others had greeted her
announcement rang still in her ears. She was walking very very slowly,
but--but no, she wouldn't--she _couldn't_ turn back. She forced her
unwilling feet to go on--to go faster, faster until she was almost
running. She was beyond the village now and another mile and a half
would bring her to Slabtown. _Slabtown!_ She had forgotten Slabtown. The
colour died swiftly out of her face as she remembered it now. Even with
a crowd of girls she had never passed the place without a fearful
shrinking, and now alone--_could_ she pass those ugly cabins swarming
with rough, dirty men and slovenly women and rude, staring children? Her
knees trembled under her even at the thought, and her newborn courage
melted like wax. It was no use. She could not do it. She wavered,
stopped, and turned slowly around. As she did so a grey rabbit with a
white tail scurried across the road before her, his ears flattened
against his head and his eyes bulging with terror. The sight of him
suddenly steadied the girl. She stood still looking after the tiny grey
streak flying across a wide green pasture, and a queer crooked smile
was on her trembling lips.

"A bunny--_another_ bunny," she said under her breath, "and just as
scared as I am--at nothing. I won't be a bunny any longer! I won't be
the camp coward--I won't, won't, _won't_!" she cried aloud, and turning,
went on again swiftly with her head lifted. A bit of colour drifted back
to her white cheeks, and her heart stopped its heavy thumping as she
drew a long deep breath. She would not let herself think of Slabtown.
She counted the trees she passed, named the birds that wheeled and
circled about her, even repeated the multiplication table--anything to
keep Slabtown out of her thoughts; but all the while the black dread of
it was there in the back of her mind. When she caught sight of the
sawmill where the Slabtown men earned their bread, her feet began to
drag again.

"I can't--O, I can't!" she sobbed out, two big tears r