s, or flowers
are mentioned your time will come; and all of us will hear you read and
help nights. I'd just as soon as not."

That was the most surprising thing. He never offered to help me
before. He never acted as if he cared what became of me. Maybe it was
because Laddie always had taken such good care of me, Leon had no
chance. He seemed willing enough now. I looked at him closely.

"You'll find out I'll learn things if I try," I boasted. "And you will
find out I don't tell secrets either."

"I've been waiting for you to pipe up about----"

"Well, I haven't piped, have I?"

"Not yet."

"I am not going to either."

"I almost believe you. A girl you could trust would be a funny thing
to see."

"Tell me what you know about Laddie, and see if I'm funny."

"You'd telltale sure as life!"

"Well, if you know it, he knows it anyway."

"He doesn't know WHAT I know."

"Well, be careful and don't worry mother. You know how she is since
the fever, and father says all of us must think of her. If it's
anything that would bother her, don't tell before her."

"Say, looky here," said Leon, turning on me sharply, "is all this
sudden consideration for mother or are you legging for Laddie?"

"For both," I answered stoutly.

"Mostly for Laddie, just the same. You can't fool me, missy. I won't
tell you one word."

"You needn't!" I answered, "I don't care!"

"Yes you do," he said. "You'd give anything to find out what I know,
and then run to Laddie with it, but you can't fool me. I'm too smart
for you."

"All right," I said. "You go and tell anything on Laddie, and I'll
watch you, and first trick I catch you at, I'll do some telling myself,
Smarty."

"That's a game more than one can play at," said Leon. "Go ahead!"

CHAPTER V

The First Day of School

"Birds in their little nests agree.
And why can't we?"

"B-i-r-d-s, birds, i-n, in, t-h-e-i-r, their, l-i-t-t-l-e, little,
n-e-s-t-s, nests, a-g-r-e-e, agree."

My feet burned in my new shoes, but most of my body was chilling as I
stood beside Miss Amelia on the platform, before the whole school, and
followed the point of her pencil, while, a letter at a time, I spelled
aloud my first sentence. Nothing ever had happened to me as bad as
that. I was not used to so much clothing. It was like taking a colt
from the woods pasture and putting it into harness for the first time.
That lovely September morning I followed Leon and May do