Ruby's Reward — page 182: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

telle, for the school, you know, is not far away, then go back at two and teach until four, after which the remainder of the day would be mine. Then Saturday is a holiday, and I promise you there shall be no but- tons missing nor any holes unmended, while—just- think, Robert!—I am to have ten dollars a week! It would be very nice for pin-money, you know.” — “Dear child!” the strong man said, in a trembling voice, as he gathered her close to him; ‘‘to think of your working a whole week for ten dollars! How hard itis to be so curtailed !”’ “No, indeed, itisn't a bit hard for me; the hard- ship all comes upon you,” she auswered, fondly. “I believe I was never any happier in my life than I have been since we came to live in this wee house. Truly, [have begun to feel that Iam of some conse- quence in the world, and that is a very pleasant feel- ing, you know, while Ihave learned to do a great many things that I should never have known any- thing about otherwise. Butit is lonely staying here by myself so much, for Estelle is confined to her room a@ great deal of the time and wants to be quiet, and if I can haye some pleasant occupation, I know it will be ever so much better for me.” “But you never used to complain of being lonely, Ruby.”’ “Well, you know I was always going somewhere, or receiving company at home.” “Why not occupy your time in the same way now ? You ought not to confine yourself too closely to the house,” Ruby’s face grew suddenly crimson. It was not an easy thing to tell her brother that nearly all her friends had forsaken her of late—that it was avery different thing to call upon her the im- poverished girl living in an insignificant house in a narrow, retired street, from what it had been when she was a star in society, the belle of a home of at- fluence. But she made as light of it as she could and re- ve with an oe of pgp one ‘ “Oh, I do not have many calls, you know, sa,there are none to return.” BenaasoUCT