illtown. I suppose it's bigger and grander even
than Wareham; more like Paris? Miss Ross told me about Paris; she
bought my pink sunshade there and my bead purse. You see how it opens
with a snap? I've twenty cents in it, and it's got to last three
months, for stamps and paper and ink. Mother says aunt Mirandy won't
want to buy things like those when she's feeding and clothing me and
paying for my school books."

"Paris ain't no great," said Mr. Cobb disparagingly. "It's the dullest
place in the State o' Maine. I've druv there many a time."

Again Rebecca was obliged to reprove Mr. Cobb, tacitly and quietly, but
none the less surely, though the reproof was dealt with one glance,
quickly sent and as quickly withdrawn.

"Paris is the capital of France, and you have to go to it on a boat,"
she said instructively. "It's in my geography, and it says: 'The French
are a gay and polite people, fond of dancing and light wines.' I asked
the teacher what light wines were, and he thought it was something like
new cider, or maybe ginger pop. I can see Paris as plain as day by just
shutting my eyes. The beautiful ladies are always gayly dancing around
with pink sunshades and bead purses, and the grand gentlemen are
politely dancing and drinking ginger pop. But you can see Milltown most
every day with your eyes wide open," Rebecca said wistfully.

"Milltown ain't no great, neither," replied Mr. Cobb, with the air of
having visited all the cities of the earth and found them as naught.
"Now you watch me heave this newspaper right onto Mis' Brown's
doorstep."

Piff! and the packet landed exactly as it was intended, on the corn
husk mat in front of the screen door.

"Oh, how splendid that was!" cried Rebecca with enthusiasm. "Just like
the knife thrower Mark saw at the circus. I wish there was a long, long
row of houses each with a corn husk mat and a screen door in the
middle, and a newspaper to throw on every one!"

"I might fail on some of 'em, you know," said Mr. Cobb, beaming with
modest pride. "If your aunt Mirandy'll let you, I'll take you down to
Milltown some day this summer when the stage ain't full."

A thrill of delicious excitement ran through Rebecca's frame, from her
new shoes up, up to the leghorn cap and down the black braid. She
pressed Mr. Cobb's knee ardently and said in a voice choking with tears
of joy and astonishment, "Oh, it can't be true, it can't; to think I
should see Milltown. It's like having a fairy