And all the
time her hero-worship of Hale went on, fed by the talk of the
boardinghouse, her fellow pupils and of the town at large--and it
fairly thrilled her to know that to the Falins he was now a
Tolliver himself.
Sometimes Hale would get her a saddle, and then June would usurp
Miss Anne's place on a horseback-ride up through the gap to see
the first blooms of the purple rhododendron on Bee Rock, or up to
Morris's farm on Powell's mountain, from which, with a glass, they
could see the Lonesome Pine. And all the time she worked at her
studies tirelessly--and when she was done with her lessons, she
read the fairy books that Hale got for her--read them until "Paul
and Virginia" fell into her hands, and then there were no more
fairy stories for little June. Often, late at night, Hale, from
the porch of his cottage, could see the light of her lamp sending
its beam across the dark water of the mill-pond, and finally he
got worried by the paleness of her face and sent her to the
doctor. She went unwillingly, and when she came back she reported
placidly that "organatically she was all right, the doctor said,"
but Hale was glad that vacation would soon come.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189