nt. She knew they would prepare gifts
for her whether she could make a present in return or not. Then it was
the custom for each graduating class to give a great entertainment and
use the funds to present the school with a statue for the entrance hall.
Elnora had been cast for and was practising a part in that performance.
She was expected to furnish her dress and personal necessities. She had
been told that she must have a green gauze dress, and where was it to
come from?

Every girl of the class would have three beautiful new frocks for
Commencement: one for the baccalaureate sermon, another, which could be
plain, for graduation exercises, and a handsome one for the banquet and
ball. Elnora faced the past three years and wondered how she could have
spent so much money and not kept account of it. She did not realize
where it had gone. She did not know what she could do now. She
thought over the photographs, and at last settled that question to her
satisfaction. She studied longer over the gifts, ten handsome ones there
must be, and at last decided she could arrange for them. The green dress
came first. The lights would be dim in the scene, and the setting deep
woods. She could manage that. She simply could not have three dresses.
She would have to get a very simple one for the sermon and do the best
she could for graduation. Whatever she got for that must be made with a
guimpe that could be taken out to make it a little more festive for the
ball. But where could she get even two pretty dresses?

The only hope she could see was to break into the collection of the man
from India, sell some moths, and try to replace them in June. But in her
soul she knew that never would do. No June ever brought just the things
she hoped it would. If she spent the college money she knew she could
not replace it. If she did not, the only way was to secure a room in
the grades and teach a year. Her work there had been so appreciated
that Elnora felt with the recommendation she knew she could get from the
superintendent and teachers she could secure a position. She was sure
she could pass the examinations easily. She had once gone on Saturday,
taken them and secured a license for a year before she left the
Brushwood school.

She wanted to start to college when the other girls were going. If she
could make the first year alone, she could manage the remainder. But
make that first year herself, she must. Instead of selling any of her
collect