t my desk Miss
Amelia would have another chance at me. That was too much to risk, so
I followed the others outdoors, and oh joy! there came Laddie down the
road. He set me on one of the posts of the hitching rack before the
church, and with my arms around his neck, I sobbed out the whole story.

"She didn't understand," said Laddie quietly. "You stay here until I
come back. I'll go explain to her about the birds. Perhaps she hasn't
watched them as closely as you have."

Recess was over before he returned. He had wet his handkerchief at the
water bucket, and now he bathed my face and eyes, straightened my hair
with his pocket comb, and began unlacing my shoes.

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "I must wear them. All the girls
do. Only the boys are barefoot."

"You are excused," answered Laddie. "Three-fourths of the day is
enough to begin on. Miss Amelia says you may come with me."

"Where are you going?"

Laddie was stripping off my stockings as he looked into my eyes, and
smiled a peculiar little smile.

"Oh Laddie!" I cried. "Will you take me? Honest!"

He laughed again and then he rubbed my feet.

"Poor abused feet," he said. "Sometimes I wish shoes had never been
invented."

"They feel pretty good when there's ice."

"So they do!" said Laddie.

He swung me to the ground, and we crossed the road, climbed the fence,
and in a minute our redbird swamp shut the schoolhouse and cross old
Miss Amelia from sight. Then we turned and started straight toward our
Big Woods. I could scarcely keep on the ground.

"How are the others getting along?" asked Laddie.

"She's cross as two sticks," I told him. "Johnny Hood hasn't shot one
paper wad, and Leon hadn't done a thing until he laughed about the
birds, and I guess he did that to make her forget me."

"Good!" cried Laddie. "I didn't suppose the boy thought that far."

"Oh, you never can tell by looking at him, how far Leon is thinking," I
said.

"That's so, too," said Laddie. "Are your feet comfortable now?"

"Yes, but Laddie, isn't my face marked?"

"I'm afraid it is a little," said Laddie. "We'll bathe it again at the
creek. We must get it fixed so mother won't notice."

"What will the Princess think?"

"That you fell, perhaps," said Laddie.

"Do the tears show?"

"Not at all. We washed them all away."

"Did I do wrong, Laddie?"

"Yes, I think you did."

"But it wasn't true, what she said."

"That's not the point."