“She is too late!” said Elnora coldly.  “She had over a month to prepare my dresses, and I was to pay for them, so there is no excuse.”

“Nevertheless, she is your mother,” said the Bird Woman, softly.  “I think almost any kind of a mother must be better than none at all, and you say she has had great trouble.”

“She loved my father and he died,” said Elnora.  “The same thing, in quite as tragic a manner, has happened to thousands of other women, and they have gone on with calm faces and found happiness in life by loving others.  There was something else I am afraid I never shall forget; this I know I shall not, but talking does not help.  I must deliver my presents and photographs to the crowd.  I have a picture and I made a present for you, too, if you would care for them.”

“I shall love anything you give me,” said the Bird Woman.  “I know you well enough to know that whatever you do will be beautiful.”

Elnora was pleased over that, and as she tried on her dress for the last fitting she was really happy.  She was lovely in the dainty gown:  it would serve finely for the ball and many other like occasions, and it was her very own.

The Bird Woman’s driver took Elnora in the carriage and she called on all the girls with whom she was especially intimate, and left her picture and the package containing her gift to them.  By the time she returned parcels for her were arriving.  Friends seemed to spring from everywhere.  Almost every one she knew had some gift for her, while because they so loved her the members of her crowd had made her beautiful presents.  There were books, vases, silver pieces, handkerchiefs, fans, boxes of flowers and candy.  One big package settled the trouble at Sinton’s, for it contained a dainty dress from Margaret, a five-dollar gold piece, conspicuously labelled, “I earned this myself,” from Billy, with which to buy music; and a gorgeous cut-glass perfume bottle, it would have cost five dollars to fill with even a moderate-priced scent, from Wesley.

In an expressed crate was a fine curly-maple dressing table, sent by Freckles.  The drawers were filled with wonderful toilet articles from the Angel.  The Bird Woman added an embroidered linen cover and a small silver vase for a few flowers, so no girl of the class had finer gifts.  Elnora laid her head on the table sobbing happily, and the Bird Woman was almost crying herself.  Professor Henley sent a butterfly book, the grade rooms in which Elnora had taught gave her a set of volumes covering every phase of life afield, in the woods, and water.  Elnora had no time to read so she carried one of these books around with her hugging it as she went.  After she had gone to dress a queer-looking package was brought by a small boy who hopped on one foot as he handed it in and said:  “Tell Elnora that is from her ma.”

“Who are you?” asked the Bird Woman as she took the bundle.

“I’m Billy!” announced the boy.  “I gave her the five dollars.  I earned it myself dropping corn, sticking onions, and pulling weeds.  My, but you got to drop, and stick, and pull a lot before it’s five dollars’ worth.”