in a lower tone, "dò you want your supper? and how's Mrs. G― to night? Do you feed her well, Willy? How soon will she be out, Willy?"

And so she went on, while the original Willy sat and stared open-mouthed.

"Now, Nimpo, that's too bad!" he said at last. "It's no meaner than your naming your dog after me," said Nimpo.

"Yes, it is," said Willy, leaning on the fence, "because you named a whole family after me." Nimpo laughed.

"Come, let's make up, Nimpo," he said coaxingly, "I won't write any more notes."

"Well," said Nimpo.

So that was the end of Nimpo's first love affair. That night Willy went down to the store and bought a tiny bit of a penknife—about half an inch long—with a hole in to put a string through. And the next morning, on the way to school he gave it to Nimpo as a peace-offering.

Nimpo strung it on a blue ribbon and wore it on her neck, and the next hard thing she did was to make him a pocket pin-cushion.

In those days girls had an idea that boys were in a chronic state of wanting a pin-as they were themselves so on birthdays and at Christmas, every boy was well supplied with round flat things about as big as a silver half dollar, its edge gaily ornamented with pin heads.

Nimpo made hers heart-shape-she got Augusta Primkins to cut it out, and spent laborious hours trying to make small stitches around the edge. But she hated sewing, and though she won Mrs. Primkins' commendation for industry, nothing but a sense of duty carried her through the undertaking that lovely summer weather. Very glad she was, when the last pin was stuck in, and the whole thing handed over to the duly grateful Willy.

66

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE GREEN RIBBON.

NIMPO," said Cousin Will one night, as she stopped at the store on her way home from school, "I received a letter from your father to-day; he wants me to go to Cleveland on business, and he says you may go, if you like, and stay all night at Mrs. Stuart's."

"Oh may I?" exclaimed Nimpo. "Won't that be splendid! I haven't seen Carrie Stuart for ever so long! When shall you go?"

"To-morrow morning-if I can get a team," answered Cousin Will.

"Why don't you go in the stage?" asked Nimpo.

"No. Your father says I'm to take a pair of horses and a buggy, so as to go out of the stage route and stop at Bon a little business."

"Oh I'm so glad!" said Nimpo, "that's so much nicer than stage, and we'll be gone two whole days, won't we?"

"Yes," said Cousin Will.

Nimpo ran back to Anna Morris, to tell her the good news, and then went home and told Rush.

Rush didn't think the news was particularly good, he wanted to go himself. But Nimpo reminded him that he went on the last trip of the kind with father himself, and of course that was nicer than going with Cousin Will, and he had no reason to complain. So, being on the whole reasonable considering-he submitted and said no more, though he drew long sighs whenever it was mentioned.

"What'll you wear?" asked Mrs. Primkins, when she heard the news.

"Oh my green and white delaine," said Nimpo, "it's the best for a travelling dress. But it won't look very well with my bonnet," she added presently, "for that is trimmed with blue to match my barege."

"That don't signify," said Mrs. Primkins; "be sides you better wear your school hat, in case of rain, and it looks 'mazingly like it. Your best bonnet's a flimsy thing. I wonder your ma ever bought such an unpractical thing."

It was of delicate openwork material, very pretty for summer weather, but not just the thing for a two days' ride. But Nimpo couldn't endure the idea of going to Cleveland with a common school hat, so without saying any thing to Mrs. Primkins, she went down to the store and told Cousin Will her trouble.

"Oh that's nothing," said he. "You can have a green ribbon if you want, out of the store."

Nimpo went around to the show-case, and in a few minutes selected the one she would have,a lovely bright green. Cousin Will cut some off, and she hid it in her pocket and went back to Mrs. Primkins'.

The trimming on bonnets was not quite so fussy in those days as that on your hats now, and Nimpo was sure that she could imitate the way the blue was put on, and make it look as well in