- I. [Mrs. Wopp’s Hospitality]
- II. [Concerning Betty]
- III. [A Day at School]
- IV. [Wash-Day at Mrs. Wopp’s]
- V. [A Dance in the Cedar Hills]
- VI. [An Evening in the Wopp Parlor]
- VII. [The Little Church in the Coulee]
- VIII. [Betty Visits the City of Her Dreams]
- IX. [The Vaudeville Show]
- X. [The Circus]
- XI. [Jonah and the Whale]
- XII. [The Autograph Quilt]
- XIII. [Moses Gains Prestige]
- XIV. [Betty Among the Flowers]
- XV. [Merry-Making in the Hay-Loft]
- XVI. [Moses Has Exciting Experiences]
- XVII. [A Sample of Ebenezer Wopp’s Ire]
- XVIII. [A Pair of Checked Trousers]
- XIX. [Betty’s Illness]
CHAPTER I.—MRS. WOPP’S HOSPITALITY.
Ebenezer Wopp sat at the head of the table. Beaming from behind a promising array of cups and saucers, his portly wife presented a countenance of aggressive hospitality. In height and girth Mrs. Wopp had much the advantage of her husband.
“Arsk a blessin’, Ebenezer.”
All heads bowed as the compliant master of the house, with thin nervous hands outspread and in a voice quavering with piety, responded to this request. Moses of the freckled face and pale blue eyes, kept one eye open as grace was being said, in order to scan the bounteous display on the table. Furtively he chose the largest bun on the plate that was placed close to Betty, his little foster-sister. To annex the most corpulent pickle would require some slight manœuvring, but he felt sure it could be managed.
“Amen!”
Suddenly, all heads were raised and a sigh of satisfaction escaped Mrs. Wopp’s lips.
“We do be glad to hev the new schoolmarm,” she announced, “you might of mentioned her, in yer blessin’, Ebenezer.”
“I’ll make a note of that, Lize.”
The dutiful husband drew from his pocket a long slip of paper and a small stubby pencil. Having a poor memory, he had formed the habit of making a note of everything his wife suggested, so that he could fulfill her wishes in future. The notes were plentiful, but they failed in some unaccountable way to prod his memory.