  Elizabeth Ann blushed and the people who had come to the fair clapped. Doris forgot to be shy and beamed. “Nobody ever guessed it was you, Elizabeth Ann,” she kept saying. Uncle Hiram took them both over to the ice cream booth and there was still some ice cream left, vanilla and chocolate. Before they had quite finished their plates, Aunt Grace called to Uncle Hiram to come where she was and look at something, and that left Elizabeth Ann and Doris alone. The children in charge of the ice cream booth had gone to buy something at one of the tables—for the fair was almost over—and the teacher who had given the two little girls their ice cream had taken her money box over to have the money counted where all the money boxes were. Of course she jumped, for it startled her. “Here I am—back of these pillows,” said a voice and Catherine Gould put her head out between two black satin pillows that had been left on a piano bench. “I think you were awfully mean to fool people, Elizabeth Ann,” said Catherine reproachfully. “Of course if I had known who you were, I wouldn’t have asked you to tell my fortune.” “It was just for fun,” Elizabeth Ann answered, taking the last spoonful of her chocolate ice cream and looking at her empty plate wistfully. “Well, don’t you ever tell what I told you about the corncrib door, or I’ll never forgive you,” said Catherine. “Why I wouldn’t tell—I don’t carry tales,” Elizabeth Ann declared indignantly, “but aren’t you going to tell Mr. Bostwick—or your father?” “Why should I?” asked Catherine, though her face turned red. “I’m not sure I left it Doris almost choked on her last bit of ice cream in her hurry to tell Catherine what she thought of her. “Why Catherine Gould, you’re telling a lie,” she cried. “I mean you will be telling a lie, if you don’t explain to your father about the corncrib door. He thinks Roger left it open, and Roger has to work for him every Saturday.” “I am not telling a lie, and don’t you say such things, Doris Mason!” stormed Catherine. “Maybe I didn’t leave the door open. Anyway, it won’t hurt Roger Calendar to work Saturdays—my father says idleness is bad for anyone. And Roger is careless—one day last summer he left the pasture bars down and Mr. Bostwick’s cows got in the garden and ate almost the entire first crop of peas.” Someone struck a chord on the piano just then—that was to attract the attention of everyone in the room. Elizabeth Ann peeked “We’re going to auction the cakes that are left,” announced Mr. Fundy the principal. “We have six fine cakes left and they won’t keep till our next fair, so we’ll sell them to the highest bidder.” Roger played softly while the cakes were being auctioned off and they were soon sold. Aunt Grace bought a banana layer cake, much to the pleasure of Elizabeth Ann and Doris, who liked banana cake. And when the last cake had been sold and the money added to that already counted, Mr. Fundy had another announcement to make. “I’m glad to be able to tell you,” he said, “that everything in all the booths has been sold; and we have cleared for our Christmas fund for poor and sick children, exactly $160. I call that pretty fine for a country school like ours.” All the people clapped and Roger broke into a rollicking march on the piano. With $160, Miss Owen explained to Elizabeth Ann who stood near her, they could buy more than they Then, of course, it was time to go home, and Elizabeth Ann and Doris couldn’t talk about Catherine in the car for not only would Uncle Hiram and Aunt Grace hear them, but Roger, who was going to have supper at their house before he went to the Bostwick farm. Uncle Hiram had arranged that with Mr. Bostwick, and it was a real treat for Roger who seldom visited anywhere. “Don’t you wish you had a piano of your own?” Doris asked him, when they were almost home. “Yes, I’d like one,” said Roger, “but the only way I’ll ever get it will be to earn the money; and if people keep on saying I leave doors open and kill cows, it will take me all my life to pay them. I never will get any money saved for a piano.” “Avast there,” Uncle Hiram mumbled over his shoulder. “The wind can blow in the east only so long; your east wind is about blown out and you ought to be looking for clear weather.” They couldn’t help laughing a little at the idea of waffles being a west wind, but Roger told Aunt Grace that hot waffles were as good as a spell of clear weather to him; a west wind, he explained to Elizabeth Ann, always brought clear weather. Elizabeth Ann looked at Doris and Doris looked at Elizabeth Ann. But they couldn’t make up their minds what they ought to do. Roger had his golden brown waffles and went home, whistling cheerily as though he had forgotten such unpleasant things as corncrib doors, and perhaps he had. Aunt Grace went out into the kitchen—excuse us, the galley—to set her bread. And Elizabeth Ann and Doris sat on the floor of their bedroom and talked about Catherine Gould until Uncle Hiram called to them that it was high time sailors their age were fast asleep. In the morning, on the way to school, Elizabeth Ann and Doris were still talking about Catherine. “But you can’t make Catherine tell her father,” Doris pointed out. “And you don’t want to tell him yourself—you told her you wouldn’t.” Elizabeth Ann shook her head so that her red tam almost fell off. “No, of course I wouldn’t tell,” she declared. “But I am going to think and think and by and by I’ll find a way.” Doris had great respect for Elizabeth Ann’s thinking powers and she watched her anxiously the rest of the day. Catherine was absent from school, so when they left the bus at the cross-roads in the later afternoon, only Roger was with them. He turned off at the lane leading to the Bostwick farm, and as soon “I know what to do!” she exclaimed. “I’ve thought it all out—first we ask Uncle Hiram to promise that he will tell Mr. Gould about Catherine—how she hid the candy and forgot to fasten the door and then let him think Roger did it. But before Uncle Hiram tells Mr. Gould, he must make him promise that he won’t scold Catherine.” “She ought to be scolded,” said Doris sternly. She didn’t like to be scolded herself, mind you, but she didn’t mind seeing other people get their “comeuppance,” as Aunt Grace called it. “Well, perhaps,” Elizabeth Ann admitted, “but we can’t help that. If Catherine thinks she is going to be scolded, she will never tell. And if we can promise her no one will say a word, she won’t mind telling. We want Roger to stop working for Mr. Gould—never mind about Catherine.” “Yes, but how can you tell Uncle Hiram when you said you wouldn’t?” asked the practical Doris. Doris went on, grumbling that the plan wouldn’t work. But the surprising thing about it was that it Mr. Gould was sorry about Roger and went at once to see Mr. Bostwick to tell him a mistake had been made, and that Roger wasn’t careless after all. And of course Roger no longer had to work all day Saturday at the Gould farm. But Mr. Gould was even sorrier about his own little girl, and he said that no Of course it was almost Christmas by this time—less than two weeks to Christmas Eve. But we haven’t enough pages to tell you about Christmas in the Bonnie Susie, so that will have to wait till another book. Only you may be sure Elizabeth Ann and Doris had a wonderful time, for the country is the place for little girls to enjoy Christmas. THE END Elizabeth Ann Series By JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE For Girls from 7 to 12 Book cover Elizabeth Ann is a little girl whom we first meet on a big train, travelling all alone. Her father and mother have sailed for Japan, and she is sent back East to visit at first one relative’s home, and then another. Of course, she meets many new friends, some of whom she is quite happy with, while others—but you must read the stories for yourself. Every other girl who reads the first of these charming books will want all the rest; for Elizabeth Ann is certainly worth the cultivating.
Publishers LINDA LANE SERIES By Josephine Lawrence For Girls from 12 to 15 Cloth Large 12 Mo. Illustrated Book cover “The trouble with Linda Lane,” said Mrs. Quincy, “was that she ‘couldn’t get along with folks.’” As everyone knows, a girl needs friends to Linda admires independence above all other traits of character. She has plenty of that quality herself and she is the kind of girl who not only cheerfully fights her own battles, but those of the weaker who cannot defend themselves. She is “bossy,” lovable, impatient and loyal, a born manager, whose plans invariably work out to satisfactory conclusions, and Linda has a definite plan which gradually unfolds in these books written about her—the sort of plan only a girl without a home and parents of her own could think of and carry to completion. Linda Lane knows what she wants and she is willing to work and trust to her own efforts to make her wishes come true.
Publishers CHARMING STORIES FOR GIRLS The Corner House Girls Series By GRACE BROOKS HILL Book cover Four girls from eight to fourteen years of age receive word that a rich bachelor uncle has died, leaving them the old Corner House he occupied. They move into it and then the fun begins. What they find and do will provoke many a hearty laugh. Later, they enter school and make many friends. One of these invites the girls to spend a few weeks at a bungalow owned by her parents, and the adventures they meet with make very interesting reading. Clean, wholesome stories of humor and adventure, sure to appeal to all young girls.
Publishers CHICKEN LITTLE JANE SERIES By LILY MUNSELL RITCHIE Book cover Chicken Little Jane is a Western prairie girl who lives a happy, outdoor life in a country where there is plenty of room to turn around. She is a wide-awake, resourceful girl who will instantly win her way into the hearts of other girls. And what good times she has!—with her pets, her friends, and her many interests. “Chicken Little” is the affectionate nickname given to her when she is very, very good, but when she misbehaves it is “Jane”—just Jane!
PUBLISHERS ~HAT MAY~ AN ENCHANTED PRINCESS By LUCY THURSTON ABBOTT For girls from 8 to 14 NET $1.00 Book cover THIS charming story is concerned with the fortunes of a little girl whom a whim of Fate has placed in charge of a woman and her lame husband living on the New England coast—the Winkiepaw pair—and the woman, whom Hat May always looks upon as a cruel ogress of her imaginary fairy world, treats her very badly indeed. The story covering Hat May’s doings is everything that a book for girls between the ages of eight and fourteen should be. The characters are skillfully drawn and true to nature; also while there is considerable pathos connected with the ill-treatment of Hat May; so too there is discovered in the telling an abundance of childish and delightful humor. BARSE & CO. ~The Rusty-Cats~ A story of Hat May and her friends. BY Author of “Hat May.” (For Girls from 8 to 14) Summer has come again to Carey Hill bringing with it the “rusticators,” or, as the Carey children are called, the “rusty-cats.” With them comes happiness to Hat May the little enchanted princess, and hope of recovery to her little crippled friend, Hank. The mystic rites of The Seven Bloody Bones baffle prying Mrs. Winkiepaw who is forced to grant more freedom to her slave, Hat May. The success of Ariel’s wonderful play, written especially for the Seven, buys a wheel-chair for Hank, and then when the summer is over, and life with the ogress becomes too hard to bear, Phin cleverly rescues Hat May and defeats the ill-tempered ogress. Can anyone guess the beautiful word which disenchants Hat May and takes her from her dreary and sordid existence to one of beauty and happiness? Price Net $1.00 Publishers Transcriber’s Note: Changes to the original publication have been made as follows:
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