evermore. Amen."
It wasn't exactly a prayer but it comforted Mary Rose as if it had been.

She slipped out of bed and began to dress soberly and slowly instead of
singing and hurriedly as usual. When she had combed her hair and
washed her face and hands she went into her closet and came out with
the detested boys' suit of faded blue serge. Her red lips were pressed
into a firm line as she put it on.

"My soul an' body!" exclaimed astonished Aunt Kate when she came in
with the coffeepot and saw a boyish little figure in the doorway. Mary
Rose ran to her. "I was so proud of wearing girls' clothes that maybe
that was the reason Jenny Lind was taken from me," she explained in a
whisper. "I just hate these, Aunt Kate. I despise them! But I'm
going to wear them. You know proud people are punished, the Bible says
so, and I was as proud--as proud as the proudest. That's the way I've
thought it out and that's why I put on this hateful suit this morning."

"I think you're wrong, Mary Rose," began Aunt Kate, while Uncle Larry
put down the colored supplement that he had been holding out so
enticingly to look at his niece, who appeared smaller than ever in the
shabby blouse and shrunken knickers. "You haven't had so much to be
proud of, a few of Ella's old clothes. But if you feel better in
those, why, wear 'em. Where's your goldfish? Don't you want to show
'em to your uncle? Miss Thorley an' Mr. Jerry'll understand," she said
as Mary Rose ran to bring the goldfish. "An' I hate to argue with her
today. She can wear those now, but tomorrow she'll put on proper
girls' clothes to go to school. I don't care what Brown an' Lawson or
anyone else says. You hain't heard anythin' from them, have you?"

"Nothin' yet, but it won't be good news when it comes. We'll have to
move, Kate. Ol' Wells has seen to that an' after last night I don't
care so much. If honest faithful work don't count for anythin' here I
dunno as I want to stay. I can find another job. It won't be as easy
as this. This was just velvet for a man like me."

"Well, if they have the nerve to fire you just because you're givin' a
home to an orphan niece I hope Mr. Strahan writes it all over the front
of his paper. I'd like to see it in big red letters an' then maybe the
owner an' Mr. Wells'd be ashamed of themselves."

"S-sh! S-sh!" cautioned Uncle Larry but not quickly enough, for Aunt
Kate's voice was shrill and excited and Mary Rose in her litt