Ruby's Reward — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

One afternoon, late in April, she returned from school tired, almost prostrated with her long walk in the heat and dust, and with a feeling of downright homesickness in her heart. She found their rooms empty, but a note was lying upon the table, addressed to her, in her sister’s hand- writing. It stated that Mrs, Gordon had gone out of town to make some inquiries about accommodations | a the summer months, and might not return until ate. | Ruby felt very lonely. Ithad been a hard day in school, she had been suffering from a dull headache all the afternoon, and now to come home and find the place deserted, and no one to speak a cheerful word to her, made her doubly sad and desolate. - She dropped her books and hat upon the table, and, throwing herself upon the sofa, let willful tears have their way. She might have lain there twenty minutes when there came a knock upon the door. Thinking it might be a servant with the mail, she turned her tear-stained face to the wall, and mur- mured a low “Come in,” The door opened, some one entered and closed it again, and then stood irresolute, as if conscious of having been guilty of an intrusion, Ruby looked up‘guddenly to thd Edmund Carpenter standing there, hat in hand, and regarding her with an anxious look of inquiry, She sprang to her feet, coloring vividly with con- fusion, at his haying found her there, and faltered out a greeting. “Ig Mrs. Gordon home?” he asked, advancing, and holding out his hand to Ruby, “No; Estelle went out early in the afternoon, and has not returned,” she replied. “Ah! Are you expecting her soon?” “T do not know. I presume she will not be long now, Will you alt down?’ Ruby asked, as a matter of form, but hoping from the bottomn of der joear that he would refuse and go away. | erste SondAsebt