ing long
enough in one place to keep a kitten of her own, but the pleasant
thought came that she was almost sure to find some at Aunt Barbara's
where she was going.

It was not time to feel hungry, but Betty caught sight of a paper box
which the waiter had brought to the carriage just as she was leaving the
hotel. She was having a hot and dusty search under the car-seat for the
sailor woman's purse, which had suddenly gone overboard from the upper
deck of her wide lap, but it was found at last, and Betty produced the
luncheon-box too and opened it. Her new friend looked on with deep
interest. "I'm only goin's far as Newburyport," she explained eagerly,
"so I'm not provided."

"Papa knew that I should be hungry by noon," said Betty. "We always try
not to get too hungry when we are traveling because one gets so much
more tired. I always carry some chocolate in my bag."

"I expect you've had sights of experience. You ain't be'n kep' short,
that's plain. They ain't many young gals looks so rugged. Enjoy good
health, dear, don't ye?" which Betty answered with enthusiasm.

The luncheon looked very inviting and Betty offered a share most
hospitably, and in spite of its only being a quarter before eleven when
the feast began, the chicken sandwiches entirely disappeared. There were
only four, and half a dozen small sponge-cakes which proved to be
somewhat dry and unattractive.

"I only laid in a light breakfast," apologized Betty's guest. "I'm
obliged to you, I'm sure, but then I wa' n't nigh so hungry as when I
got adrift once, in an open boat, for two days and a night, and they
give me up"--

But at this moment the train man shouted "Newburyport," as if there were
not a minute to be lost, and the good soul gathered her possessions in
a great hurry, dropping her purse again twice, and letting fall bits of
broken sentences with it from which Betty could gather only "The fog
come in," and "coast o' France," and then, as they said good-by, "'t was
so divertin' ridin' along that I took no note of stoppin'." After they
had parted affectionately, she stood for a minute or two at the door of
the still moving train, nodding and bobbing her kind old head at her
young fellow-passenger whenever they caught each other's eye. Betty was
sorry to lose this new friend so soon, and felt more lonely than ever.
She wished that they had known each other's names, and especially that
there had been time to hear the whole of the boat story.