“No one else, Aunty Em.”

Tillie drew herself away and again returned to her work at the dresser.

But all the rest of that day her conscience tortured her that she should have told this lie.

For there was some one else.

XX

Tillie is “Set back”

On Sunday morning, in spite of her aunt’s protestations, Tillie went to meeting with her curls outside her cap.

“They’ll set you back!” protested Mrs. Wackernagel, in great trouble of spirit.

“It would be worse to be deceitful than to be vain,” Tillie answered.  “If I am going to let my hair curl week-days, I won’t be a coward and deceive the meeting about myself.”

“But whatever made you take it into your head to act so vain, Tillie?” her bewildered aunt inquired for the hundredth time.  “It can’t be fur Absalom, fur you don’t take to him.  And, anyways, he says he wants to be led of the Spirit to give hisself up.  To be sure, I hope he ain’t tempted to use religion as a means of gettin’ the girl he wants!”

“I know I’m doing wrong, Aunty Em,” Tillie replied sorrowfully.  “Maybe the meeting to-day will help me to conquer the Enemy.”

She and her aunt realized during the course of the morning that the curls were creating a sensation.  An explanation would certainly be demanded of Tillie before the week was out.

After the service, they did not stop long for “sociability,”—­the situation was too strained,—­but hurried out to their buggy as soon as they could escape.

Tillie marveled at herself as, on the way home, she found how small was her concern about the disapproval of the meeting, and even about her sin itself, before the fact that the teacher thought her curls adorable.

Aunty Em, too, marveled as she perceived the girl’s strange indifference to the inevitable public disgrace at the hands of the brethren and sisters.  Whatever was the matter with Tillie?

At the dinner-table, to spare Tillie’s evident embarrassment (perhaps because of the teacher’s presence), Mrs. Wackernagel diverted the curiosity of the family as to how the meeting had received the curls.

“What did yous do all while we was to meeting?” she asked of her two daughters.

“Me and Amanda and Teacher walked to Buckarts Station,” Rebecca answered.

“Did yous, now?”

“Up the pike a piece was all the fu’ther I felt fur goin’,” continued Eebecca, in a rather injured tone; “but Amanda she was so fur seein’ oncet if that fellah with those black MUStache was at the blacksmith’s shop yet, at Buckarts!  I tole her she needn’t be makin’ up to him, fur he’s keepin’ comp’ny with Lizzie Hershey!”

“Say, mom,” announced Amanda, ignoring her sister’s rebuke, “I stopped in this morning to see Lizzie Hershey, and she’s that spited about Teacher’s comin’ here instead of to their place that she never so much as ast me would I spare my hat!”