Wesley unwrapped the shoes.  Margaret took them up and pinched the leather and stroked them.

“My, but they are fine!” she cried.

Wesley picked up one and slowly turned it in his big hands.  He glanced at his foot and back to the shoe.

“It’s a little bit of a thing, Margaret,” he said softly.  “Like as not I’ll have to take it back.  It seems as if it couldn’t fit.”

“It seems as if it didn’t dare do anything else,” said Margaret.  “That’s a happy little shoe to get the chance to carry as fine a girl as Elnora to high school.  Now what’s in the other box?”

Wesley looked at Margaret doubtfully.

“Why,” he said, “you know there’s going to be rainy days, and those things she has now ain’t fit for anything but to drive up the cows——­”

“Wesley, did you get high shoes, too?”

“Well, she ought to have them!  The man said he would make them cheaper if I took both pairs at once.”

Margaret laughed aloud.  “Those will do her past Christmas,” she exulted.  “What else did you buy?”

“Well sir,” said Wesley, “I saw something to-day.  You told me about Kate getting that tin pail for Elnora to carry to high school and you said you told her it was a shame.  I guess Elnora was ashamed all right, for to-night she stopped at the old case Duncan gave her, and took out that pail, where it had been all day, and put a napkin inside it.  Coming home she confessed she was half starved because she hid her dinner under a culvert, and a tramp took it.  She hadn’t had a bite to eat the whole day.  But she never complained at all, she was pleased that she hadn’t lost the napkin.  So I just inquired around till I found this, and I think it’s about the ticket.”

Wesley opened the package and laid a brown leather lunch box on the table.  “Might be a couple of books, or drawing tools or most anything that’s neat and genteel.  You see, it opens this way.”

It did open, and inside was a space for sandwiches, a little porcelain box for cold meat or fried chicken, another for salad, a glass with a lid which screwed on, held by a ring in a corner, for custard or jelly, a flask for tea or milk, a beautiful little knife, fork, and spoon fastened in holders, and a place for a napkin.

Margaret was almost crying over it.

“How I’d love to fill it!” she exclaimed.

“Do it the first time, just to show Kate Comstock what love is!” said Wesley.  “Get up early in the morning and make one of those dresses to-morrow.  Can’t you make a plain gingham dress in a day?  I’ll pick a chicken, and you fry it and fix a little custard for the cup, and do it up brown.  Go on, Maggie, you do it!”

“I never can,” said Margaret.  “I am slow as the itch about sewing, and these are not going to be plain dresses when it comes to making them.  There are going to be edgings of plain green, pink, and brown to the bias strips, and tucks and pleats around the hips, fancy belts and collars, and all of it takes time.”