s and standing, the impersonation
of conscious guilt. She felt disgraced. She felt the silence. She felt
she could not meet the eyes of the other little girls. And she felt
sick. Her throat was sore. In the Third Reader one's face burned from
the red-hot stove so near by, while one shivered from the draught when
the window was lowered above one's head.

Emmy Lou did not come to school the next day, so Hattie went out to see
her. It was Friday. The class had had singing. Every Friday the singing
teacher came to the Third Reader for an hour.

"He changed my seat over to the left," said Hattie. "I can sing alto."

Emmy Lou felt cross. She felt the strenuousness of striving to keep
abreast of Hattie. And the taste of a nauseous dose from a black bottle
was in her mouth, and another dose loomed an hour ahead. And now Hattie
could sing alto.

"Sing it," said Emmy Lou.

It disconcerted Hattie. "It--isn't--er--you can't just up and sing
it--it's alto," said Hattie, nonplussed.

"You said you could sing it," said Emmy Lou. This was the nearest Emmy
Lou had come to fussing with Hattie.

The next Monday Emmy Lou was late in starting, that is, late for Emmy
Lou, and she made a discovery--Miss Jenny passed Emmy Lou's house going
to school. Emmy Lou did not have courage to join her, but waited inside
her gate until Miss Jenny had passed. But the next morning she was at
her gate again as Miss Jenny came by.

Miss Jenny said, "Good morning."

Emmy Lou went out. They walked along together. After that Emmy Lou
waited every morning. One day it was icy on the pavements. Miss Jenny
told Emmy Lou to take her hand. After that Emmy Lou's mittened hand went
into Miss Jenny's every morning.

Emmy Lou told Hattie, who came out to Emmy Lou's the next morning. They
both waited for Miss Jenny. They each held a hand. It was in this way
they came to know the Drug-Store Man. Sometimes he waited for them at
the corner. Sometimes he walked out to meet them. He and Miss Jenny
seemed to be old friends. He asked them about rudiments of number. They
wondered how he knew.

One day Hattie proposed a plan. It was daring. She persuaded Emmy Lou to
agree to it. That night Emmy Lou packed her school-bag even to the
apple for Miss Jenny. Next morning, early as Hattie arrived, she was
waiting for her at the gate, though hot and cold with the daring of the
expedition. They were going to walk out in the direction of the Great
Unknown, from which, each da