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Show U. of U. Chronicle Year Book 85 The tall, stooped girl shrank back into herself; it was as near as mother and daughter ever came to an understanding. Mrs. Johnson rose, piled a few chips, frugally, into the stove, set the kettle over the blaze, with a little bang, "and went into the bed room. 'Liza could hear her pouring their little hoard out of the old stocking, and counting it over; then, in the parlor, rearranging the furniture, in an effort to hide the worn places. 'Liza had forgotten her work, and was listening strainedly-a strange tenderness choked her, and lighted up her dull eyes. "There's the egg-money,' she thought. "There'd be enough with tomorrow's." But the social was Friday,-and Dave; she couldn't go without the new dress; she was to pick it out tomorrow; why. she hadn't had a new dress since-the tears rained down upon the red hands clenched in the pan. "I don't care!" she said. "I don't care!" In a few minutes, Mrs. Johnson came out into the kitchen, aggrieved and irritable. 'Liza, don't you intend we're to hev any supper tonight? Liza rose in silence, and went listlessly about the evening work. Saturday morning, the girl set out almost cheerfully for the neighboring town, and returned toward dark, tired and dusty, and without the dress; but with the precious fifty cents which would make up her own five dollars. She did not look much like a heroine, in the faded navy-blue calico, sagging slightly at the back, and the untrimmed black leghorn tied down over her ears ; but there were heroic little lines about the corners of her mouth. Her mother, fretting about the carpet, scolded her for being late, for forgetting some groceries, for looking so untidy-and received no answer. They were washing up the supper dishes when her mother broke the silence to ask : "Did you get y'r dress, 'Liza?" "No." "Hev you got enough ?" "I dunno," evasively. "You kin go up Monday, I suppose." There was a hidden resentment behind her words: 'Liza didn't care about the carpet. When Mrs. Johnson stepped out to run in at a neighbor's, 'Liza slipped into the bedroom, and added her money to the stocking. There was enough now ; she jingled the money, happily. Her mother! returning for the plate of doughnuts which she had forgotten, was arrested in the doorway by the jingling and went white with terror. "A thief? No, it couldn't be!" The door was ajar; she tiptoed in, and looked: '"Liza, of course! but 'Lizar' With shaking limbs, she stole outside, and sank upon a bench. The wrinkled, petulant face was pitifully white and drawn. 'Liza, taking money! She would have given it to her if she had asked,-if she had known 'Liza wanted it so!" She felt humiliated, disgraced. The horror of her Puritan ancestors rose in her heart against her daughter. For what semed hours she sat there, listening to 'Liza's listless footsteps-with |