on't mind. Come in and I'll give you a big long apron
that will cover your frock all over. It--it's dreadful dusty in here."

Janice would not be discouraged. She smiled cheerfully at him, found
brush, pan, broom, pail, and cloths, and with some hot water and
soap-powder went back to the store. The rain continued to fall heavily.
There was no likelihood of her being disturbed at her work.

She chose the more littered of the two show windows and almost threw
everything out of it in her hurry. Then she swept down the cobwebs and
dead flies, and brushed away all the dust. It was no small task to scrub
the panes of glass clean, and all the woodwork; but Janice knew how to
work. The old black Mammy who had kept house for her and Daddy so many
years had taught the girl domestic tasks, and had taught her well.

Within an hour the work was done. More light came through the panes of
that window than usually ventured in upon a sunshiny day!

The balance of the task was a pleasure. Her bright eyes had noted the
newer goods upon Mr. Drugg's shelves. She selected samples of the more
recent canned goods--those of which the labels on the cans were fresh
and bright. She arranged these with package goods--breakfast foods, and
the like--so as to make a goodly display. She found colored tissue
papers, too, and she brightened the window shelf with these. She
festooned the flyspecked, T-arm light bracket in the window, and
carried twisted strings of the pink and green paper to the four corners
of the window shelf from the bottom of this bracket.

She went out upon the porch at last to look in at the display. From the
outside the window was pretty and bright--it was like the windows she
was used to seeing in the Greensboro stores.

"One thing about it," she declared, with confidence. "There's nothing
like this in the whole of Poketown. There isn't another store window
that looks so fresh and--yes!--dainty."

Then she went inside to Mr. Drugg. He was listlessly brushing up the
cottage kitchen. Lottie had fallen asleep on the wide bench beyond the
cookstove, a great bunch of posies hugged against her stained pinafore.

"Come in and see, sir," said Janice, beckoning the gray man into the
store. Drugg came with shuffling steps and lack-lustre eyes. He seemed
to be considering in his mind something that had nothing whatsoever to
do with what she had called him for.

"Do you re'lly suppose, Miss Janice," he murmured, "that I could
increas