he said, were none
too large, and many a night had he carried home my books for me, and
many a morning had he brought me nuts and raisins, to say nothing of
the time when I found in my desk a little note, which said--But
everybody who's been to school, knows what it said!

Taking it all round we were as good as engaged; so you can judge what
my feelings were when, before the night of Nellie's first day at
school, I saw Tom Jenkins giving her an orange which I had every
reason to think was originally intended for me! I knew very well that
Nellie's brown curls and eyes had done the mischief; and though I did
not love her the less, I blamed him the more for his fickleness, for
only a week before he had praised my eyes, calling them a "beautiful
indigo blue," and all that. I was highly incensed, and when on our way
from school he tried to speak good-humoredly, I said, "I'd thank you
to let me alone! I don't like you, and never did!"

He looked sorry for a minute, but soon forgot it all in talking to
Nellie, who after he had left us said "he was a cleverish kind of boy,
though he couldn't begin with William Raymond." After that I was very
cool toward Tom, who attached himself more and more to Nellie, saying
"she had the handsomest eyes he ever saw;" and, indeed, I think it
chiefly owing to those soft, brown, dreamy eyes that I am not now
"Mrs. Tom Jenkins of Jenkinsville," a place way out West, whither Tom
and his mother have migrated.

One day Nellie was later at school than usual, giving as a reason that
their folks had company--a Mr. Sherwood and his mother, from Hartford;
and adding that if I'd never tell anybody as long as I lived and
breathed she'd tell me something.

Of course I promised, and Nellie told me how she guessed that Mr.
Sherwood, who was rich and handsome, liked Adaline. "Anyway, Adaline
likes him," said she, "and oh, she's so nice and good when he's
around. I ain't 'Nell, you hateful thing' then, but I'm 'Sister
Nellie.' They are going to ride this morning, and perhaps they'll go
by here. There they are, now!" and looking toward the road I saw Mr.
Sherwood and Adaline Gilbert on horseback, riding leisurely past the
schoolhouse. She was nodding to Nellie, but he was looking intently at
Mabel, who was sitting near the window. I know he asked Adaline
something about her, for I distinctly heard a part of her reply--"a
poor factory girl," and Adaline's head tossed scornfully, as if that
were a sufficient