After
that she went because she knew all about it, and had decided to go.
She had spent half an hour on the log beside the trail in deep thought
and had arrived at her conclusions. She worked harder than usual for the
next week, but she seemed to thrive on work. It was October and the
red leaves were falling when her first time came to treat. As the crowd
flocked down the broad walk that night Elnora called, "Girls, it's my
treat to-night! Come on!"
She led the way through the city to the grocery they patronized when
they had a small spread, and entering came out with a basket, which she
carried to the bridge on her home road. There she arranged the girls
in two rows on the cement abutments and opening her basket she gravely
offered each girl an exquisite little basket of bark, lined with red
leaves, in one end of which nestled a juicy big red apple and in the
other a spicy doughnut not an hour from Margaret Sinton's frying basket.
Another time she offered big balls of popped corn stuck together with
maple sugar, and liberally sprinkled with beechnut kernels. Again it
was hickory-nut kernels glazed with sugar, another time maple candy,
and once a basket of warm pumpkin pies. She never made any apology,
or offered any excuse. She simply gave what she could afford, and the
change was as welcome to those city girls accustomed to sodas and French
candy, as were these same things to Elnora surfeited on popcorn and pie.
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