Kate's Heavenly Time

She handed the note to Polly, while she shook out dresses and
gloated over the contents of the trunk.

"Of course you shall go!" shouted Polly as she finished the note,
but even as she said it she glanced obliquely up the road and
waved a hand behind her mother's back.

"Sure you shall go!" cried Adam, when he finished the note, and
sat beside the trunk seeing all the pretty things over again.
"You just bet you shall go. Polly and I can keep house, fine! We
don't need any cousins hanging around. I'll help Polly with her
work, and then we'll lock the house and she can come out with me.
Sure you go! We'll do all right." Then he glanced obliquely down
the road, where a slim little figure in white moved under the
cherry trees of the York front yard, aimlessly knocking croquet
balls here and there.

It was two weeks until time to go, but Kate began taking care of
herself at once, solely because she did not want Nancy Ellen to be
ashamed of her. She rolled her sleeves down to meet her gloves
and used a sunbonnet instead of a sunshade. She washed and
brushed her hair with care she had not used in years. By the time
the tenth of July came, she was in very presentable condition,
while the contents of the trunk did the remainder. As she was
getting ready to go, she said to Polly: "Now do your best while
I'm away, and I am sure I can arrange with Nancy Ellen about
school this winter. When I get back, the very first thing I shall
do will be to go to Hartley and buy some stuff to begin on your
clothes. You shall have as nice dresses as the other girls, too.
Nancy Ellen will know exactly what to get you."