he window, thought she
would bring her work and join her.

Mrs. Crawford welcomed her, but Kristy was disturbed. "Mrs. Wilson,"
she began, "don't you think a person ought to keep her promise?"

"Why, certainly," said Mrs. Wilson.

"Kristy! Kristy!" said her mother warningly.

"I'm just going to ask Mrs. Wilson," said Kristy, with a twinkle in
her eye, "if she doesn't think you ought to _go_ on telling me
stories, when you promised to do it as long as it rained. She likes to
hear stories, too, I'm sure."

Mrs. Wilson laughed. "Of course I do, and I shall be delighted, I'm
sure. Your mother must be a master hand at the business, for I never
knew such a story-lover as you, Kristy."

"I've about told myself out," said Mrs. Crawford. "Kristy, I think you
really ought to excuse me now."

"How will it do if I tell you one to rest mamma?" asked Mrs. Wilson.
"I happen to be much interested just now in a story that is still
going on in town."

"Do tell it!" said Kristy. "I can get mamma to keep her promise this
evening."

Mrs. Wilson laughed, and first taking her sewing out of a bag she
carried, she began:--

"It's about the Home we see on the cars, going to the city."

"Oh, yes! where we always see girls in the yard as we go by?" said
Kristy.

"Yes; I'll tell you how it began."

Kristy settled herself more comfortably on the lounge, and the story
began.

CHAPTER VIII

NORA'S GOOD LUCK

It does not seem very good in the beginning--but you shall see. One
cold winter night a man in the city came home crazy with drink. I will
not tell you what he did to his trembling daughter who was all the
family left, except one thing: he put her out of the house and told
her never to come back. It was a very poor house, hardly any comforts
in it, but it was the only home the child knew and she was twelve
years old. When she was turned out of it, her only thought was to hide
herself away where no one could find her.

This was in the edge of the city, and she wandered about a little till
she came to a new barn where there was an opening in the foundations
big enough for her to crawl in. When she saw this, by the light of the
street lamp, she crept into the hole and far back in one corner where
she thought no one would ever find her--and there she lay.

The house to which that barn belonged held two boys and a dog, and the
next day, when the three were playing together, as they generally
were, the dog began to act