“It’s just fierce out, ma!” she exclaimed.  “Grandma, ain’t supper ready yet?  I never was so hungry in all my life.  I could eat a house afire.”

She stopped short at sight of Elizabeth.  She had been chewing gum—­Lizzie was always chewing gum—­but her jaws ceased action in sheer astonishment.

“This is your cousin Bessie, come all the way from Montana on horseback, Lizzie.  She’s your aunt Bessie’s child.  Her folks is dead now, and she’s come to live with us.  You must see ef you can’t get her a place in the ten-cent store ’long with you,” said the grandmother.

Lizzie came airily forward, and grasped her cousin’s hand in mid-air, giving it a lateral shake that bewildered Elizabeth.

“Pleased to meet you,” she chattered glibly, and set her jaws to work again.  One could not embarrass Lizzie long.  But she kept her eyes on the stranger, and let them wander disapprovingly over her apparel in a pointed way as she took out the long hat-pins from the cumbersome hat she wore and adjusted her ponderous pompadour.

“Lizzie’ll have to help fix you up,” said the aunt noting Lizzie’s glance.  “You’re all out of style.  I suppose they get behind times out in Montana.  Lizzie, can’t you show her how to fix her hair pompadour?”

Lizzie brightened.  If there was a prospect of changing things, she was not averse to a cousin of her own age; but she never could take such a dowdy-looking girl into society, not the society of the ten-cent store.

“O, cert!” answered Lizzie affably.  “I’ll fix you fine.  Don’t you worry.  How’d you get so awful tanned?  I s’pose riding.  You look like you’d been to the seashore, and lay out on the beach in the sun.  But ’tain’t the right time o’ year quite.  It must be great to ride horseback!”

“I’ll teach you how if you want to learn,” said Elizabeth, endeavoring to show a return of the kindly offer.

“Me?  What would I ride?  Have to ride a counter, I guess.  I guess you won’t find much to ride here in the city, ’cept trolley-cars.”

“Bessie’s got a horse.  He’s out in the yard now,” said the grandmother with pride.

“A horse!  All your own?  Gee whiz!  Won’t the girls stare when I tell them?  Say, we can borrow a rig at the livery some night, and take a ride.  Dan’ll go with us, and get the rig for us.  Won’t that be great?”

Elizabeth smiled.  She felt the glow of at last contributing something to the family pleasure.  She did not wish her coming to be so entirely a wet blanket as it had seemed at first; for, to tell the truth, she had seen blank dismay on the face of each separate relative as her identity had been made known.  Her heart was lonely, and she hungered for some one who “belonged” and loved her.

Supper was put on the table, and the two girls began to get a little acquainted, chattering over clothes and the arrangement of hair.

“Do you know whether there is anything in Philadelphia called ’Christian Endeavor’?” asked Elizabeth after the supper-table was cleared off.