Because!" was the stern response, and the _woman_ in
Nella-Rose thrilled and throbbed and trembled, while the girlish spirit
pleaded for the excitement of joy and sweetness that was making the
grim stretches of her narrow existence radiant and full of meaning.

On she went doggedly. The dimples disappeared; the mouth fell into the
pathetic, drooping lines that by and by, unless something saved
Nella-Rose, would become permanent and mark her as a hill-woman--one to
whom soul visions were denied.

CHAPTER VI

Wisdom had all but conquered Nella-Rose's folly when she came in sight
of Calvin Merrivale's store. But--who knows?--perhaps the girl's story
had been written long since, and she was not entirely free. Be that as
it may, she paused, for no reason whatever as far as she could tell, and
carefully took one dozen eggs from the basket and hid them under some
bushes by the road! Having done this she went forward so blithely and
lightly that one might have thought her load had been considerably
eased. She appeared before Calvin Merrivale, presently, like a
refreshing apparition from vacancy. It was high noon and Merrivale was
dozing in a chair by the rusty stove, in which a fire, prepared against
the evening chill, was already burning.

"How-de, Mister Merrivale?" Calvin sprang to his feet.

"If it ain't lil' Nella-Rose. How'se you-all?"

"Right smart. I've brought you three dozen eggs and ten pounds of pork."
Nella-Rose almost said po'k--not quite! "And you must be mighty generous
with me when you weigh out--let me see!--oh, yes, pepper, salt, and
sugar."

"I'll lay a siftin' more in the scale, Nella-Rose, on 'count o' yo'
enjoyin' ways. But I can't make this out"--he was counting the
eggs--"yo' said three dozen aigs?"

"Three dozen, and ten pounds of pork!" This very firmly.

Merrivale counted again and as he did so Nella-Rose remembered! The red
came to her face--the tears to her ashamed eyes.

"Stop!" she said softly, going close to the old man. "I forgot. I took
one dozen out!"

Merrivale stood and looked at her and then, what he thought was
understanding, came to his assistance.

"Who fo', Nella-Rose, who fo'?"

There was no reply to this.

"Yo' needn't be afraid to open yo' mind ter me, Nella-Rose. Keeping sto'
is a mighty help in gettin' an all-around knowin' o' things. Folks jest
naterally come here an' talk an' jest naterally I listen, an' 'twixt Jim
White, the sheriff, an' old Merrivale,