10 A YEAR WITH NELLIE.

Mrs. Maine spoke quite sharply to her for her
carelessness. But even that she quickly forgot,
for she could not put the cat out of her mind.

CHAPTER II.
WINNING THE BOOK.

RS. MAINE rose at five on a Wednesday
morning, because that was her day for
churning the butter, and she would not have
been able to do it had she not risen early. She
usually let the children sleep for two hours
longer, for she said, “They'll have to work
when they come to my age. They may as well
enjoy themselves a bit now.”

It was the day after that in which Miss
Rayner, the doctor’s daughter, had paid a visit
to the school-house. Mrs. Maine crept quietly
.down-stairs, not wishing to wake anyone else,
yet not so quietly but that Nellie heard her,
and lifted her head from the pillow to listen.

At five at this time of year it was still dark,
but Nellie was too full of a plan of her own to