ged Comfort.

"You ask him--it's your ring," she whispered.

But Comfort shook her head. She was almost ready to cry. "You'd ought
to when I'm giving you the dollar," whispered Matilda, with another
nudge. Mr. Gerrish stood waiting, and he frowned a little; he was a
nervous man. "Ask him," whispered Matilda, fiercely.

Suddenly Comfort Pease turned herself about and ran out of Gerrish's,
with a great wail of inarticulate words about not wanting any ring.
The door banged violently after her. Matilda Stebbins looked after
her in a bewildered way; then she looked up at Mr. Gerrish, who was
frowning harder. "If you girls don't want anything, you'd better stay
out of doors with your sled," said he. And Matilda trembled and
gathered up the sled-rope, and the door banged after her. Then Mr.
Gerrish said something to the man mending watches in the window, and
went back to his desk in the rear of the store.

Matilda could just see Comfort running down the street toward home,
and she ran after her. She could run faster than Comfort. As she got
nearer she could see people turning and looking curiously after
Comfort, and when she came up to her she saw she was crying. "Why,
you great baby, Comfort Pease," said she, "going along the road
crying!"

Comfort sobbed harder, and people stared more and more curiously.
Finally one stout woman in a black velvet bonnet stopped. "I hope you
haven't done anything to hurt this other little girl?" she said,
suspiciously, to Matilda.

"No, ma'am, I ain't," replied Matilda.

"What's the matter, child?" said the woman in the black velvet bonnet
to Comfort. And Comfort choked out something about losing her ring.

"Where did you lose it?" asked the woman.

"I don't k--n--o--w," sobbed Comfort.

"Well, you'd better go right home and tell your mother about it,"
said the stout woman, and went her way with many backward glances.

Matilda dragged her sled to Comfort's side and eyed her dubiously.

"Why didn't you get the ring when we were right there with the gold
dollar?" she demanded. "What made you run out of Gerrish's that way?"

"I'm--go--ing--home," sobbed Comfort.

"Ain't you going to wait and ride in the stage coach?"

"I'm--going--right--home."

"Imogen said to go in the stage-coach. I don't know as mother'll like
it if we walk. Why didn't you get the ring, Comfort Pease?"

"I don't want--any--ring. I'm going home--to--tell--my mother."

"Your mother would have been real ple