第30章 CHAPTER VI(5)

If mother did not put love into it,she's substituted something that's likely to fool me."She almost felt her steps lagging as she approached the bridge.A very hungry dog had been added to the trio of children.Elnora loved all dogs,and as usual,this one came to her in friendliness.The children said "Good morning!"with alacrity,and another paper parcel layconspicuous.

"How are you this morning?"inquired Elnora.

"All right!"cried the three,while the dog sniffed ravenously at the lunch box,and beat a perfect tattoo with his tail.

"How did you like the bologna?"questioned Billy eagerly.

"One of the girls took me to lunch at her home yesterday,"answered Elnora.

Dawn broke beautifully over Billy's streaked face.

He caught the package and thrust it toward Elnora.

"Then maybe you'd like to try the bologna to-day!"The dog leaped in glad apprehension of something,and Belle scrambled to her feet and took a step forward.

The look of famished greed in her eyes was more than Elnora could endure.It was not that she cared for the food so much.Good things to eat had been in abundance all her life.She wanted with this lunch to try to absorb what she felt must be an expression of some sort from her mother,and if it were not a manifestation of love,she did not know what to think it.But it was her mother who had said "be generous."She knelt on the bridge.

"Keep back the dog!"she warned the elder boy.

She opened the box and divided the milk between Billy and the girl.She gave each a piece of cake leaving one and a sandwich.Billy pressed forward eagerly,bitter disappointment on his face,and the elder boy forgot his charge.

"Aw,I thought they'd be meat!"lamented Billy.

Elnora could not endure that.

"There is!"she said gladly."There is a little pigeon bird.

I want a teeny piece of the breast,for a sort of keepsake,just one bite,and you can have the rest among you".

Elnora drew the knife from its holder and cut off the wishbone.Then she held the bird toward the girl.

"You can divide it,"she said.The dog made a bound and seizing the squab sprang from the bridge and ran for life.The girl and boy hurried after him.With awful eyes Billy stared and swore tempestuously.Elnora caught him and clapped her hand over the little mouth.

A delivery wagon came tearing down the street,the horse running full speed,passed the fleeing dog with the girl and boy in pursuit,and stopped at the bridge.High school girls began to roll from all sides of it.

"A rescue!A rescue!"they shouted.

It was Ellen Brownlee and her crowd,and every girl of them carried a big parcel.They took in the scene as they approached.The fleeing dog with something in its mouth,the half-naked girl and boy chasing it told the story.Those girls screamed with laughter as they watched the pursuit.

"Thank goodness,I saved the wishbone!"said Elnora.

"As usual,I can prove that there was a bird."She turned toward the box.Billy had improved the time.

He had the last piece of cake in one hand,and the last bite of salad disappeared in one great gulp.Then the girls shouted again.