he State map as a river, but no
one called it that. Nearer was a cluster of houses, two or three
factories stretching out to South Hope and the railroad station. Oh, why
were beautiful things always so far off?

She hurried on her gown and twisted up her hair in a knot. It was a
faded cambric of last summer, rather short in the skirt for such a large
girl, but then it was pretty well worn out. She helped with the
breakfast, she laid out the dainties for Jenny's lunch, she ran to do
things for Uncle Jason, the world was just full of odds and ends jumbled
together. She wondered why people had to eat so much. Why hadn't they
been made so one meal a day would suffice?

Jenny took her little lunch satchel and trudged on with a cheerful
good-morning. Nearly a mile to walk, and then to work all day in the hot
stuffy place full of unfragrant smells, and the gossip about beaus and
what was going to be the fashion, and perhaps unfriendly comments or
common teasing jokes. That was what they talked about when they came to
see Jenny. They were no great readers, these girls. And was her lot to
be cast with them? Oh, had school days really come to an end? She had
known their worth such a little while, only during the last year, the
last three months she might say. School was a period everyone went
through, but now, to her it had unfolded its magical labyrinth, and she
wanted to roam there forever. Yet though she had shed bitter tears last
night, she did not feel at all like crying now. An exultant life seemed
throbbing within her.

"Now, Helen, you just go upstairs and sweep, and look out for the
corners when you wipe up, and shake the mats out good and hard. See how
quick you can get through."

Aunt Jane always said this Saturday morning. "Just as if I couldn't
remember when I've done it for two years," Helen thought, but she made
no reply. She worked away with her mind on a dozen other things, and her
work was well done, too.

The great oven was heated on Saturday, an old-fashioned brick oven. Pies
and cake and bread, and a big jar full of beans went in it to come out
done to perfection. And the towels and handkerchiefs and stockings were
washed on that day, it saved so much from Monday's work. Nathan and
'Reely weeded in the garden, then peeled apples for sauce, and picked
raspberries to can, making what Aunt Jane called a clean sweep of them.
Dinner again for a hungry host.

"I'm going over to Hope this afternoon," said Unc