THE SECOND YEAR
1
“Windy Poplars,
“Spook’s Lane,
“September 14th.
“I can hardly reconcile myself to the fact that our beautiful two months are over. Theywere beautiful, weren’t they, dearest? And now it will be only two years before . . .
(Several paragraphs omitted.)
“But there has been a good deal of pleasure in coming back to Windy Poplars . . . to my own private tower and my own special chair and my own lofty bed . . . and even Dusty Miller basking on the kitchen window-sill.
“The widows were glad to see me and Rebecca Dew said frankly, ‘It’s good to have you back.’ Little Elizabeth felt the same way. We had a rapturous meeting at the green gate.
“‘I was a little afraid you might have got into Tomorrow before me,’ said little Elizabeth.
“‘Isn’t this a lovely evening?’ I said.
“‘Where you are it’s always a lovely evening, Miss Shirley,’ said little Elizabeth.
“Talk of compliments!
“‘How have you put in the summer, darling?’ I asked.
“‘Thinking,’ said little Elizabeth softly, ‘of all the lovely things that will happen in Tomorrow.’
“Then we went up to the tower room and read a story about elephants. Little Elizabeth is very much interested in elephants at present.
“‘There is something bewitching about the very name of elephant, isn’t there?’ she said gravely, holding her chin in her small hands after a fashion she has. ‘I expect to meet lots of elephants in Tomorrow.’
“We put an elephant park in our map of fairyland. It is no use looking superior and disdainful, my Gilbert, as I know you will be looking when you read this. Not a bit of use. The world alwayswill have fairies. It can’t get along without them. And somebody has to supply them.
“It’s rather nice to be back in school, too. Katherine Brooke isn’t any more companionable but my pupils seemed glad to see me and Jen Pringle wants me to help her make the tin halos for the angels’ heads in a Sunday-school concert.
“I think the course of study this year will be much more interesting than last year. Canadian History has been added to the curriculum. I have to give a little ‘lecturette’ tomorrow on the War of 1812. It seems so strange to read over the stories of those old wars . . . things that can never happen again. I don’t suppose any of us will ever have more than an academic interest in ‘battles long ago.’ It’s impossible to think of Canada ever being at war again. I am so thankful that phase of history is over.
“We are going to reorganize the Dramatic Club at once and canvass every family connected with the school for a subscription. Lewis Allen and I are going to take the Dawlish Roa