"Sorensen, Virginia - Plain Girl" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sorensen Virginia)

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iv FOR ANNA MARIE SMITH

and with warm gratitude to Anna Beckstine. who first told me the story of a Plain Girl.

v

1 CONTENTS

1 .ESTHER

2.A NIGHT VISITOR13

3.WHAT HAPPENED TO DAN26

4.THE GIRL IN PINK39

5.THE' FIRST STEP AWAY49

6.SWEET WATER - AND BITTER60

7 .ESTHER ASKS A QUESTION68

8.SARAH AND THE BRIGHT NEWS81

9.DAN - WITH BUTTONS90

10.MORE ABOUT DAN104

11.A WEDDING -AND A FRIEND113

12.ESTHER DOES SOME WORK AT NIGHT127

13.THE ANSWER135

2

3

"Esther!"

Esther jumped in surprise. Mother's voice was not usually so loud. She came hurrying into the garden, where Esther had just finished picking corn. "Here,
I will take them in," she said, and held out her full black skirt for the fresh ears to be dumped into it. "Now you may go and gather eggs for supper."

She did not say what fine big ears Esther had picked, as she usually did, or even seem to notice. Before she disappeared into the kitchen she called back,
"I left the egg-basket out by the chicken coop."

Well, Esther thought, something was the matter. Unless Mother and Aunt Ruth had made fifty puddings since noon there were plenty of eggs in that house for