dress that was so shabby and wouldlook so odd and proverty-stricken among the frocks of the other girls(for she had watched them going to and from school, and already knewsome of them to speak to) would have to be worn, if possible, throughthe term. Perhaps Uncle Jabez might notice how shabby she looked,finally, and give her something more appropriate to wear. Especiallyas it had been through him that her other frocks were lost.
But it was not an easy thing to face a whole schoolroom full of girlsand boys--and most of them strangers to her--looking so "dowdyish."Ruth's love of pretty things was born in her. She had always takenpride in her appearance, and she felt her shortcomings in this linequicker and more acutely than most girls of her age.
She faced the school on Monday morning and found it not so hard as shehad supposed. Miss Cramp welcomed her kindly, and put her throughquite a thorough examination to decide her grade. The Darrowtownschools had been so good that Ruth was able to take a high place inthis one, and the teacher seated her among the most advanced of herpupils, although Ruth was younger than some of them.
The fact that Ruth was well grounded in the same studies that thescholars at this district school were engaged in, made a difficultyfor her at the start. But she did not know it then. She only knew thatMiss Cramp, seating her pupils according to their grade, sent her toan empty seat beside one of the largest girls--Julia Semple.
A good many of the girls stared at the new-comer with more thanordinary attention; but Julia immediately turned her back on her newseatmate. Ruth did not, however, give Julia much attention at thetime. She was quite as bashful as most girls of her age; and, too,there were many things during that first session to hold herattention. But at recess she found that Julia walked away from herwithout a word and that most of the girls who seemed to be in hergrade kept aloof, too. As a stranger in the school the girl from theRed Mill felt no little unhappiness at this evident slight; but shewas too proud to show her disappointment. She made friends with theyounger girls and was warmly welcomed in their games and pastimes.
"Julia's mad at you, you see," one of her new acquaintances confidedto Ruth.
"Mad at me? What for?" asked the surprised new scholar.
"Why, that seat was Rosy Ball's. Rosy has gone away to see her sistermarried and she's coming back to-morrow. If you hadn't come in to takeher place, Rosy would have been let sit beside Julia again, of course,although like enough she's fallen behind the class. Miss Cramp is verystrict."
"But I didn't know that. I couldn't help it," cried Ruth.
"Just the same, Julia says she doesn't like you and that you're anobody--that Jabe Potter has taken you in out of charity. And Juliapretty nearly bosses everything and everybody around this school. Herfather, Mr. Semple, you see, is chairman of the school board."
Her plain-spoken friend never realized how much she was hurting Ruthby telling her this. Ruth's pride kept her up, nor would she makefurther overtures toward friendship with her classmates. Shedetermined, during those first few days at the district school, thatshe would do her very best to get ahead and to win the commendation ofher teacher. There was a splendid high school at Cheslow, and shelearned that Miss Cramp could graduate pupils from her school directlyinto the Cheslow High. It was possible, the teacher assured her, forRuth to fit herself for such advancement between that time and thefall term.
It seemed as though Ruth could never make her crotchety old uncle loveher. As time passed, the loss of his cash-box seemed to prey upon themiller's mind more and more. He never spoke of it in the house again;it is doubtful if he spoke of it elsewhere. But the loss of the moneyincreased (were that possible) his moroseness. He often spoke toneither the girl nor Aunt Alvirah from sunrise to sunset.
But although Uncle Jabez was so moody and so unkind to her, in thelittle old woman, whose back and whose bones gave her so much trouble,Ruth found a loving and thoughtful friend. Aunt Alvirah was astroubled at first about Ruth's lack of frocks as the girl was herself.But before Ruth had been attending school a week, she suddenly becamevery light-hearted upon the question of dress.
"Now, don't you fret about it, deary," said Aunt Alviry, wagging herhead knowingly. "Gals like you has jest got ter hev frocks, an' thegood Lord knows it, jest the same as He knows when a sparrer falls.There'll be a way pervided--there'll be a way pervided. Ef I can'tmake ye a purty dress, 'cause o' my back an' my bones, there's themthat kin. We'll hev Miss 'Cretia Lock in by the day, and we'll make'em."
"But, dear," said Ruth, wonderingly, "how will we get the goods--andthe trimmings--and pay Miss Lock for her work?"
"Don't you fret about that. Jest you wait and see," declared AuntAlvirah, mysteriously.
Ruth knew very well that the old woman had not a penny of her own.Uncle Jabez would never have given her a cent without knowing justwhat it was for, and haggling over the expenditure then, a good deal.To his view, Aunt Alviry was an object of his charity, too, althoughfor more than ten years the old woman had kept his house like wax andhad saved him the wages of a housekeeper.
This very day, on coming home from school, Ruth had met Doctor Davisoncoming away from the Red Mill. She thought the red and white mare,that was so spirited and handsome, had been tied to the post in frontof the kitchen door, and that the physician must have called upon AuntAlvirah.
"So this is the young lady who wouldn't stop at my house but went toSam Curtis' to stay all night," he said, holding in the mare andlooking down at Ruth. "And you haven't been past the gate with thegreen eyes since?"
"No, sir," Ruth said, timidly. "I have never even been to town."
"No. Or you would not have failed to see the Curtises again. At least,I hope you'll see them. Mercy has never ceased talking about you."
"The lame girl, sir?" cried Ruth, in wonder. "Why, she spoke awfullyunkindly to me, and I thought her mother only thought I would feel badand wanted to smooth it over, when she asked me to come again."
"No," said the doctor, seriously, shaking his head. "Nobody knowsMercy like her mother. That's not to be expected. She's a poor,unfortunate, cramp-minded child. I've done what I can for her back--she has spinal trouble; but I can do little for Mercy's twisted andwarped mind. She tells me she has cramps in her back and legs and Itell her she has worse cramps in her mind. Bright! Why, child, sheknows more than most grown folks. Reads every book she can get holdof; there is scarcely a child in the Cheslow High School who couldcompete with her for a month in any study she had a mind to take holdof. But," and the doctor shook his head again, "her mind's warped andcramped because of her affliction."
"I pitied her," said Ruth, quietly.
"But don't tell her so. Go and see her again--that's all. And mindyou don't come to town without turning in at the gate with the greeneyes;" and so saying he let the eager mare out and she swiftly carriedhim away.
It was after this Aunt Alvirah seemed so confident that a way would beprovided for Ruth to get the frocks that she so sadly needed. On thevery next day, when Ruth came home from school, she found the littleold lady in a flutter of excitement.
"Now, Ruthie," she whispered, "you mustn't ask too many questions, andI'll surely tell ye a gre't secret, child."
"It must be something very nice, Aunt Alviry, or you'd never be likethis. What is it?"
"Now Ruthie, you mustn't ask too many questions, I tell you. But tomake no secret of it, for secrets I do despise, somebody's made you apresent."
"Made me a present?" gasped Ruth.
"Now, careful about questions," warned Aunt Alvirah. "I told you thata way would be pervided for you to have frocks. And it is true. Youare a-goin' to have 'em."
"Auntie! New frocks!"
"Just as good as new. Ev'ry bit as good as new. Somebody that's--that's seen ye, deary, and knows how badly you want to go to school,and that you need dresses, has given you three."
"My goodness me!" cried Ruth, clasping her hands. "Not three?"
"Yes, my dear. And they're jest as good as new--about. 'Cretia Lockwon't be two days fixin' 'em over to fit you. And you
won't mind,deary, if the little girl who wore them before you is--is--Well,deary, she won't never want them any more."
"Oh, my dear!" cried Ruth. "Three frocks all at once! And--and I'mnot to ask who gave them to me?"
"That's it. You're not to ask that. I'll git 'em and show you--Oh, myback and oh, my bones! Oh, my back and oh, my bones!" the old ladyadded, starting from her chair and hobbling out of the room.
Ruth was so amazed that she hardly knew what her other
Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill; Or, Jasper Parloe's Secret Page 13