CHAPTER VI.

EIGHT YEARS. IDA'S PROGRESS.





EIGHT years slipped by, unmarked by any important event. The Crumps
were still prosperous in an humble way. The cooper had been able to
obtain work most of the time, and this, with the annual remittance
for little Ida, had enabled the family not only to live in comfort,
but even to save up one hundred and fifty dollars a year. They might
even have saved more, living as frugally as they were accustomed to
do, but there was one point upon which none of them would consent to
be economical. The little Ida must have everything she wanted.
Timothy brought home daily some little delicacy for her, which none
of the rest thought of sharing. While Mrs. Crump, far enough from
vanity, always dressed with exceeding plainness, Ida's attire was
always rich and tasteful. She would sometimes ask, "Mother, why
don't you buy yourself some of the pretty things you get for me?"

Mrs. Crump would answer, smiling, "Oh, I'm an old woman, Ida. Plain
things are best for me."

"No, I'm sure you're not old, mother. You don't wear a cap."

But Mrs. Crump would always playfully evade the child's questions.