“I know what she wants to say,” thought Dotty. “God saved me to purpose; and He wouldn’t have saved me to purpose if He didn’t s’pect I was going to be a good girl. And I mean to; O, yes, I mean to. I’ll try harder’n ever I tried before. No tempers I’m not going to have, and no anything that’s naughty, and always put it in my prayers to ask if I needn’t grow better every minute; and then I truly shall! You don’t s’pose He’d hear and not pay ’tention? No; He always pays ’tention, and likes to have us ask such questions as that; mother says so.”
Dotty plodded away at her book-mark, going to her mother with every stitch, or now and then venturing to make one of her own, which always had to be pulled out. But it was finished at last, and Prudy was pleased with the present, only there was a slight mistake in the motto, and it read, “Hope on, hop ever.”
“I didn’t mean to tell you to hop,” said Dotty; “I left out an ‘e;’ ’twas a mistake, there were so many e’s; but I do know how to spell, Prudy Parlin.”
“O, yes, little sister; Miss Parker says you learn very fast.”
“O, Prudy, did you see her to-day; and what did she say about me and Tate?”
“She feels dreadfully, Dotty; the tears came to her eyes.”
“They did, Prudy? Well, I should think they would. Letting two little things like us lose ourself! Wasn’t it awful? She’ll kiss me when I go back to school, and she’ll want to give me pep’mints and taffy; but it wouldn’t be polite right before the other girls. She’ll only say, ‘I’m glad to see our dear little Dotty back again, and Tate, too,’ says she, ‘and you may sit together if you like, and just whisper the whole living time!’ That’s what she’ll say.”
“O, she won’t, either, Dotty; you musn’t think of such a thing,” laughed Prudy.