are awful thick, they love darkness rather than light,
because their deeds are evil! But I say the 'sword of
the Lord and of Gideon!' and let them have it! Sometimes
I pertend I'm the woman that lost the piece of silver
and I sweep the house diligently till I find it, and
once Mrs. Evans did put ten cents in a corner just for
fun for me, and I never know when she's goin' to do
something like that."

Here Maudie Ducker, who had been listening with growing
wonder interrupted Pearl with the cry of "Oh, here's pa
and Mr. Evans. They're going to take our pictures!"

The little girls were immediately roused out of the spell
that Pearlie's story had put upon them, and began to
group themselves under the trees, arranging their little
skirts and frills.

The czar had toddled on his uncertain little fat legs
around to the back door, for he had caught sight of a
red head which he knew and liked very much. It belonged
to Mary McSorley, the eldest of the McSorley family, who
had brought over to Mrs. Ducker the extra two quarts of
milk which Mrs. Ducker had ordered for the occasion.

Mary sat on the back step until Mrs. Ducker should find
time to empty her pitcher. Mary was strictly an outsider.
Mary's father was a Reformer. He ran the opposition paper
to dear Mr. Evans. Mary was never well dressed, partly
accounted for by the fact that the angels had visited