"Then I will. That ud be mindin' him. I'm goin' to stick to him, for I made
out by it better before than by mindin' mother and Mrs. Wiggins."

Alida now understood the child and laughed aloud. "You are right," she said.
"I won't ask you to do anything contrary to his wishes. Now tell me, Jane,
what other clothes have you besides those you are wearing?"

It did not take the girl long to inventory her scanty wardrobe, and then Alida
rapidly made out a list of what was needed immediately. "Wait here," she said,
and putting on a pretty straw hat, one of her recent purchases, she started
for the barn.

Holcroft had his wagon and team almost ready when Alida joined him, and led
the way to the floor between the sweet-smelling hay-mows.

"One thing leads to another," she began, looking at him a little
deprecatingly. "You must have noticed the condition of Jane's clothes."

"She does look like a little scarecrow, now I come to think of it," he
admitted.

"Yes, she's not much better off than I was," Alida returned, with downcast
eyes and rising color.

Her flushing face was so pretty under the straw hat, and the dark mow as a
background brought out her figure so finely that he thought of the picture
again and laughed aloud for pleasure. She looked up in questioning surprise,
thus adding a new grace.

"I wish that artist fellow was here now," he exclaimed. "He could make another