if you are; and we'll have Hester home but once a
month."

It was best for Hester to be away and to learn to depend upon herself.
That fact settled matters for Debby Alden. If it were good for Hester,
then it should be done and Debby Alden would give no thought to herself
in this matter.

Miss Richards was pleased with the house and the two friends made
arrangements with the care-taker to have it ready for them a few days
before the opening of school. There were papering and painting to be
done. Had it been within her own home, Debby Alden would have done the
work herself. Every bit of woodwork in her own home had been done over
with her own brush, and her paper-hanging had won the admiration of the
country-side.

The next in the course of events was selecting the articles of furniture
which might be spared from home. Debby had no idea of dismantling her
old home. The house had been built and furnished for a large family.
There were furnished bedrooms which Debby and Hester never entered
except at cleaning time; below there were the old-fashioned parlor, the
living-room with its air of comfort, the dining-room, kitchen and what
in that locality was termed the shanty-kitchen. This last was a great
room between the woodshed and kitchen proper. It was provided with every
article for laundry use, and during the canning season was the scene of
most of the household activities.

Since the early spring days when going away to school had first been
mentioned, Hester had viewed the event with dread. She knew nothing of
meeting strangers and imagined there could be nothing pleasant about it.
During the summer while Debby had talked and planned, Hester had shown
little interest and had never of herself, brought up the subject. But
since she had influenced her Aunt Debby to go to the city with her, she
was almost satisfied to go. Her joy would have been unbounded had it
been possible for Debby to be with her within the school. That could not
be. Hester was wise enough to know that. There was one other course that
could be followed, however. She could live in town with Aunt Debby and
Miss Richards and be but a parlor student at the seminary. To Hester's
mind, this would be a very satisfactory arrangement, and she meant to
bring it to pass. Having been successful in persuading her Aunt Debby to
live in town, Hester was confident that it would be no difficult matter
to persuade her to this second course. Hester was naturally a di