ich the pronoun "she" and
"her" were spoken. Otherwise Miss Morgan was unidentified. For the
conversation ran thus, over and over:--

"You ask her."

"Naw, I've done ast 'er."

"'T won't do no good for me to ast 'er. She don't like me."

"I ain't 'fraid to ast 'er."

"Well, then, why don't you?"

"Why don't _you_?"

"Let's all ast 'er."

"S'pose she will, Bud?"

"I dunno."

Then Piggy and Abe and Jimmy and Mealy came trapesing up to Miss
Morgan's kitchen door. Bud sat by the tree twirling his knife at his
game. Piggy, being the spokesman, stood in the doorway. "Miss Morgan,"
he said, as he slapped his leg with his hat.

"Well, Winfield?" replied the little woman, divining his mission, and
hardening her heart against his purpose.

"Miss Morgan," he repeated, and then coaxed sheepishly, "can't Bud go
to the show with us, Miss Morgan?"

"I'm afraid not to-day," smiled back Miss Morgan, as she went about
her work. A whisper from the doorstep prompted Piggy to "ask her why;"
whereat Piggy echoed: "Why can't he, Miss Morgan?"

"Henry misbehaved in church last night, and we've agreed that he shall
stay home from the circus."

Piggy advanced a step or two inside the door, laughing diplomatically:
"O--no, Miss Morgan; don't you think he's agreed. He's just dyin' to
go."

Miss Morgan smiled, but did not join in Piggy's hilarity--a bad
sign. Piggy tried again: "They got six elephants, and one's a trick
elephant. You'd die a-laughin' if you saw him." And Piggy went into a
spasm of laughter.

[Illustration: "_One's a trick elephant. You'd die a-laughing if you
saw him_."]

But it left Miss Morgan high and dry upon the island of her
determination.

Piggy prepared for an heroic measure, and stepped over to the kitchen
table, leaning upon it as he pleaded: "This is the last circus this
year, Miss Morgan, and it's an awful good one. Can't he go just this
once?"

[Illustration: "_It's an awful good one. Can't he go just this
once_?"]

The debate lasted ten minutes, and at the end four boys walked slowly,
with much manifestation of feeling, back to the tree where the fifth
sat. There was woe and lamentation after the manner of boy-kind. When
the boys left the yard it seemed to Miss Morgan that she could not
look from her work without seeing the lonesome figure of Bud. In
the afternoon the patter of feet by her house grew slower, and then
ceased. Occasionally a belated wayfarer sped by. The music of the
cir