suspect her of being a runaway bride. Also
she had a consultation with herself in the small hours of the morning
while Nellie was still fast asleep, and settled with her conscience just
what she would tell about her past and what she would keep to herself.
There was a certain reserve that any one might have, and if she was
frank about a few facts no one would be likely to question further.

So next morning she told Mrs. Carson that since her parents' death she
had lived with a woman who knew her father well, but lately things had
been growing very unpleasant and she found she had to leave. She had
left under such conditions that she could not bring away anything that
belonged to her, so she would have to work and earn some more clothes.

Mrs. Carson looked into her sweet eyes and agreed that it was the best
thing she could do; they might follow her up and make all sorts of
trouble for her in her new home if she wrote for her things; and so the
matter dropped. They were simple folks, who took things at their face
value and were not over inquisitive.

On the third day there arrived a long letter from Jane in which she gave
certain suggestions concerning the new member of the family, and ended:
"Ma, she's got a story, but don't make her tell any more of it than she
wants. She's awful sensitive about it, and trust me, she's all right!
She's been through a lot. Just make her feel she's got some folks that
loves and trusts her."

Ma, wise beyond her generation and experience, said no more, and took
the little new daughter into her heart. She took the opportunity to
inform the village gossips that a friend of Jane's had come to rest up
and get a year's country air, boarding with them; and so the
amalgamation of Betty Stanhope into the life of the little town began.

The "job" proved to be for only part of the day, so that Betty was free
most of the mornings to help around the house and take almost a
daughter's place. That she was a rare girl is proved by the way she
entered into her new life. It was almost as if she had been born again,
and entered into a new universe, so widely was her path diverging from
everything which had been familiar in the old life. So deep had been her
distress before she came into it that this new existence, despite its
hard and unaccustomed work, seemed almost like heaven.

It is true there was much bad grammar and slang, but that did not
trouble Betty. She had been brought up to speak correctl