At the beginning
of the last week of school he brought a little present for her
from New York--a slender necklace of gold with a little reddish
stone-pendant that was the shape of a cross. Hale pulled the
trinket from his pocket as they were walking down the river-bank
at sunset and the little girl quivered like an aspen-leaf in a
sudden puff of wind.
"Hit's a fairy-stone," she cried excitedly.
"Why, where on earth did you--"
"Why, sister Sally told me about 'em. She said folks found 'em
somewhere over here in Virginny, an' all her life she was a-
wishin' fer one an' she never could git it"--her eyes filled--
"seems like ever'thing she wanted is a-comin' to me."
"Do you know the story of it, too?" asked Hale.
June shook her head. "Sister Sally said it was a luck-piece.
Nothin' could happen to ye when ye was carryin' it, but it was
awful bad luck if you lost it." Hale put it around her neck and
fastened the clasp and June kept hold of the little cross with one
hand.
"Well, you mustn't lose it," he said.
"No--no--no," she repeated breathlessly, and Hale told her the
pretty story of the stone as they strolled back to supper.
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