He haunted the woods, and
made a little by selling skins. He had brought as his contribution to
the fair a beautiful fox skin, and when the young woman essayed to
buy that he strode forward. "That is not for sale," said he. "I beg
you to accept that as a gift, Miss Orr."
The young fellow blushed a little before the girl's blue eyes,
although he held himself proudly. "I won't have this sold to a young
lady who is buying as much as you are," he continued.
The girl hesitated. Then she took the skin. "Thank you, it is
beautiful," she said.
Jim's mother sidled close to him. "You did just right, Jim," she
whispered. "I don't know who she is, but I feel ashamed of my life.
She can't really want all that truck. She's buying to help. I feel as
if we were a parcel of beggars."
"Well, she won't buy that fox skin to help!" Jim whispered back
fiercely.
The whole did not take very long. Finally the girl talked in a low
voice to Mrs. Black who then became her spokeswoman. Mrs. Black now
looked confident, even triumphant. "Miss Orr says of course she can't
possibly use all the cake and pies and jelly," she said, "and she
wants you to take away all you care for. And she wants to know if
Mrs. Whittle will let the other things stay here till she's got a
place to put them in. I tell her there's no room in my house."
"I s'pose so," said Mrs. Whittle in a thick voice. She and many
others looked fairly pale and shocked.
Mrs. Solomon Black, the girl and the minister went out.
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