her and
felt comforted.

"There ain't no use in hurrying," was Tom's final comment. "If one thing
turns out not to be wisest you can try another. As for me, if I ain't
needed for anything else, a colored boy can always get an elevator job."

He rose to his feet giving a prodigious yawn. "Time for me to go to
bed."

Hertha rose too and stood beside him. "You can have your old room now,"
she said softly.

"That ain't my room no more, Sister," he answered. "I give that room to
you. I'm doin' fine at Aunt Lucindy's. Don't you fret." And with a
good-night he left them.

Hertha watched him until he was out of sight. "He's the dearest boy in
the world," she whispered to herself. "The dearest." Then, with a heavy
heart, she turned to go in.

"Don't go to bed yet," Ellen called. "You can't be sleepy. Come, honey,
sit here and talk."

"What about?" Hertha took her place by Ellen's side.

"What about? Why, about everything that's happened. I haven't heard yet
of a thing you've been doing."

"I haven't succeeded at anything."

"I'd rather decide about that."

And so looking out into the starlight, haltingly at first, Hertha told
the story of her eight months' absence. Ellen was all questions,
interested to learn about New York, full of curiosity regarding the
factory and the school, anxious to hear each detail of the many
happenings. Her enthusiasm warmed the narrator and before she was
through Hertha had given a full account of her city life.

"How wonderful!" Ellen said when it was finished.

"There's nothing wonderful about it," Hertha replied, despondent again.
"I've come back with nearly half my money gone and have failed at
everything."

"You haven't failed at all," was Ellen's emphatic answer. "Of course it
might have been better to have gone with Miss Witherspoon and have done
the thing she planned; study dressmaking. But you didn't, and it's
wonderful the way you made your way alone. Of course, Mammy and I
couldn't help worrying--New York was such a big place for you to be
dropped down in without a friend--but we needn't have feared."

Amazed at this unexpected praise, Hertha let her sister go on.

"It must have been great working in a factory and going out on strike!
And Kathleen, I should love her! And if you didn't like stenography
probably you got a good deal out of the course though you don't
appreciate it now. You and Tom don't make plans but I notice you have
all the experiences. I'm so proud o