voices came to her ears,
"It's Mrs. Burgoyne, of course!--She's got it! She's got the first
prize!--Go on up, Mrs. Burgoyne! You've got it!--Isn't that
GREAT,--she's got it! Go up and get it!"

"You've got first prize, I guess. You'll have to go up for it," Barry
urged her.

"He didn't say so!" Sidney protested nervously. But she let herself be
half-pushed into the aisle, and somehow reached the three little steps
that led up to the platform, and found herself facing His Excellency,
in an uproar of applause.

The Governor said a few smiling words as he put a large box into her
hands; Sidney knew this because she saw his lips move, but the house
had gone quite mad by this time, and not a word was audible. Everyone
in the hall knew that a tall loving-cup was in the box, for it had been
on exhibition in the window of Postag's jewelry store for three weeks.
It was of silver, and lined with gold, both metals shining with an
unearthly and flawless radiance; and there was "Awarded--as a First
Prize--in the Twelfth Floral Parade--of Santa Paloma, California" cut
beautifully into one side, and a scroll all ready, on the other side,
to be engraved with the lucky winner's name.

She had been joking for two or three weeks about the possibility of
this very occurrence, had been half-expecting it all day, but now
suddenly all the joke seemed gone out of it, and she was only curiously
stirred and shaken. She looked confusedly down at the sea of faces
below her, smiles were everywhere, the eyes that were upon her were
full of all affection and pride--She had done so little after all, she
said to herself, with sudden humility, almost with shame. And it was so
poignantly sweet to realize that they loved her, that she was one of
themselves, they were glad she had won, she who had been a stranger to
all of them only a few months ago!

Her eyes full of sudden tears, her lip shaking, she could only bow and
bow again, and then, just as her smile threatened to become entirely
eclipsed, she managed a husky "Thank you all so much!" and descended
the steps rapidly, to slip into her chair between Barry and George
Carew.

"You know, you oughtn't to make a long tedious speech like that on an
occasion like this, Sid," Barry said, when she had somewhat recovered
her equilibrium, and the silver loving cup was unwrapped, and was being
passed admiringly from hand to hand.

"Don't!" she said warningly, "or you'll have me weeping on your
shoulde