And, in her flights into a “higher sphere of thought,” this absurdly inconsistent Ester never once remembered how, just exactly a week ago that day, she had gone around like a storm king, in her own otherwise peaceful home, almost wearing out the long-suffering patience of her weary mother, rendered the house intolerable to Sadie, and actually boxed Julia’s ears; and all because she saw with her own common-sense eyes that she really could not have her blue silk, or rather Sadie’s blue silk, trimmed with netted fringe at twelve shillings a yard, but must do with simple folds and a seventy-five-cent heading!

Such a two weeks as the last had been in the Ried family!  The entire household had joined in the commotion produced by Ester’s projected visit.  It was marvelous how much there was to do.  Mrs. Ried toiled early and late, and made many quiet little sacrifices, in order that her daughter might not feel too keenly the difference between her own and her cousin’s wardrobe.  Sadie emptied what she denominated her finery box, and donated every article in it, delivering comic little lectures to each bit of lace and ribbon, as she smoothed them and patted them, and told them they were going to New York.  Julia hemmed pocket handkerchiefs, and pricked her poor little fingers unmercifully and uncomplainingly.  Alfred ran of errands with remarkable promptness, but confessed to Julia privately that it was because he was in such a hurry to have Ester gone, so he could see how it would seem for everybody to be good natured.  Little Minie got in everybody’s way as much as such a tiny creature could, and finally brought the tears to Ester’s eyes, and set every one else into bursts of laughter, by bringing a very smooth little handkerchief about six inches square, and offering it as her contribution toward the traveler’s outfit.  As for Ester, she was hurried and nervous, and almost unendurably cross, through the whole of it, wanting a hundred things which it was impossible for her to have, and scorning not a few little trifles that had been prepared for her by patient, toil-worn fingers.

“Ester, I do hope New York, or Cousin Abbie, or somebody, will have a soothing and improving effect upon you,” Sadie had said, with a sort of good-humored impatience, only the night before her departure.  “Now that you have reached the summit of your hopes, you seem more uncomfortable about it than you were even to stay at home.  Do let us see you look pleasant for just five minutes, that we may have something good to remember you by.”

“My dear,” Mrs. Ried had interposed, rebukingly, “Ester is hurried and tired, remember, and has had a great many things to try her to-day.  I don’t think it is a good plan, just as a family are about to separate, to say any careless or foolish words that we don’t mean.  Mother has a great many hard days of toil, which Ester has given, to remember her by.”  Oh, the patient, tender, forgiving mother!  Ester, being asleep to her own faults, never once thought of the sharp, fretful, half disgusted way in which much of her work had been performed, but only remembered, with a little sigh of satisfaction, the many loaves of cake, and the rows of pies, which she had baked that very morning in order to save her mother’s steps.  This was all she thought of now, but there came days when she was wide-awake.