“Shall we do the work or have supper first?”

“Let’s do the work,” said Elnora.  “I can’t say that I’m hungry now.  Doesn’t seem as if I ever could be hungry again with such a lunch.  I am quite sure no one carried more delicious things to eat than I.”

Mrs. Comstock was pleased.  “I put in a pretty good hunk of cake.  Did you divide it with any one?”

“Why, yes, I did,” admitted Elnora.

“Who?”

This was becoming uncomfortable.  “I ate the biggest piece myself,” said Elnora, “and gave the rest to a couple of boys named Jimmy and Billy and a girl named Belle.  They said it was the very best cake they ever tasted in all their lives.”

Mrs. Comstock sat straight.  “I used to be a master hand at spice cake,” she boasted.  “But I’m a little out of practice.  I must get to work again.  With the very weeds growing higher than our heads, we should raise plenty of good stuff to eat on this land, if we can’t afford anything else but taxes.”

Elnora laughed and hurried up stairs to change her dress.  Margaret Sinton came that night bringing a beautiful blue one in its place, and carried away the other to launder.

“Do you mean to say those dresses are to be washed every two days?” questioned Mrs. Comstock.

“They have to be, to look fresh,” replied Margaret.  “We want our girl sweet as a rose.”

“Well, of all things!” cried Mrs. Comstock.  “Every two days!  Any girl who can’t keep a dress clean longer than that is a dirty girl.  You’ll wear the goods out and fade the colours with so much washing.”

“We’ll have a clean girl, anyway.”

“Well, if you like the job you can have it,” said Mrs. Comstock.  “I don’t mind the washing, but I’m so inconvenient with an iron.”

Elnora sat late that night working over her lessons.  The next morning she put on her blue dress and ribbon and in those she was a picture.  Mrs. Comstock caught her breath with a queer stirring around her heart, and looked twice to be sure of what she saw.  As Elnora gathered her books her mother silently gave her the lunch box.

“Feels heavy,” said Elnora gaily.  “And smelly!  Like as not I’ll be called upon to divide again.”

“Then you divide!” said Mrs. Comstock.  “Eating is the one thing we don’t have to economize on, Elnora.  Spite of all I can do food goes to waste in this soil every day.  If you can give some of those city children a taste of the real thing, why, don’t be selfish.”

Elnora went down the road thinking of the city children with whom she probably would divide.  Of course, the bridge would be occupied again.  So she stopped and opened the box.

“I don’t want to be selfish,” murmured Elnora, “but it really seems as if I can’t give away this lunch.  If mother did not put love into it, she’s substituted something that’s likely to fool me.”

She almost felt her steps lagging as she approached the bridge.  A very hungry dog had been added to the trio of children.  Elnora loved all dogs, and as usual, this one came to her in friendliness.  The children said “Good morning!” with alacrity, and another paper parcel lay conspicuous.