GERTRUDE. 147

She smiled as she said, “I have had a fine time this after-
‘noon, father.”

“What have you been doing?”

“T know,” broke in Walter, with his mouth full of biscuit:
“she’s been up in her closet doing some silly thing; I believe
she makes medicines or something, for I saw her go out and
get a whole canful of dirty water.”

“What were you boys doing?” said Gertrude, laughing.

“Oh, we were making an invention.”

“T should like to see it,” returned Gertrude. “ What is it
to be?”

“We don’t know exactly; if it turns out one way it will
be a corn-husker, and if it turns out another it will be a
mowing-machine.”

Gertrude joined in the laugh which followed, and so the
attention of the family was turned from her afternoon occu-
pation.

For a long time she had wanted a paint-box, a real paint-
box with ever so many colors, and real brushes, but she was
so shy of her wish that she never told any one, for the little
girl really had talent, and her small attempts were not always
so far out of the way. It was her true love of art which
made her keep her strong desire to herself, and many were the
dreams which she had of a day when beautiful pictures should
be her very own, and when she herself could paint what she
saw about her.