“Tell me, honey,” she said. “Is
he to blame for a single one of these tears?”
“Not one!” sobbed Elnora. “Oh
mother, I won’t forgive you if you don’t
believe that. Not one! He never said, or
looked, or did anything all the world might not have
known. He likes me very much as a friend.
He hated to go dreadfully!”
“Elnora!” the mother’s head bent
until the white hair mingled with the brown.
“Elnora, why didn’t you tell me at first?”
Elnora caught her breath in a sharp snatch. “I
know I should!” she sobbed. “I will
bear any punishment for not, but I didn’t feel
as if I possibly could. I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” the shaking hand was
on the hair again.
“Afraid you wouldn’t let him come!”
panted Elnora. “And oh, mother, I wanted
him so!”
WHEREIN MRS. COMSTOCK EXPERIMENTS WITH REJUVENATION, AND ELNORA TEACHES
NATURAL HISTORY
For the following week Mrs. Comstock and Elnora worked
so hard there was no time to talk, and they were compelled
to sleep from physical exhaustion. Neither of
them made any pretence of eating, for they could not
swallow without an effort, so they drank milk and worked.
Elnora kept on setting bait for Catacolae and Sphinginae,
which, unlike the big moths of June, live several
months. She took all the dragonflies and butterflies
she could, and when she went over the list for the
man of India, she found, to her amazement, that with
Philip’s help she once more had it complete
save a pair of Yellow Emperors.
This circumstance was so surprising she had a fleeting
thought of writing Philip and asking him to see if
he could not secure her a pair. She did tell
the Bird Woman, who from every source at her command
tried to complete the series with these moths, but
could not find any for sale.
“I think the mills of the Gods are grinding
this grist,” said Elnora, “and we might
as well wait patiently until they choose to send a
Yellow Emperor.”
Mrs. Comstock invented work. When she had nothing
more to do, she hoed in the garden although the earth
was hard and dry and there were no plants that really
needed attention. Then came a notification that
Elnora would be compelled to attend a week’s
session of the Teachers’ Institute held at the
county seat twenty miles north of Onabasha the following
week. That gave them something of which to think
and real work to do. Elnora was requested to
bring her violin. As she was on the programme
of one of the most important sessions for a talk on
nature work in grade schools, she was driven to prepare
her speech, also to select and practise some music.
Her mother turned her attention to clothing.
