CHAPTER VI

THE RED MILL

"Now, my name's Helen, and you are Ruth," declared Miss Cameron, when
she had carefully started the car once more. "We are going to be the
very best of friends, and we might as well begin by telling each other
all about ourselves. Tom and I are twins and he is an awful tease!
But, then, boys are. He is a good brother generally. We live in the
first yellow house on the right-- up among the trees-- beyond Mr.
Potter's mill-- near enough so that we can run back and forth and see
each other just lots."

Ruth found herself warmly drawn toward this vivacious miss. Nor was
she less frank in giving information about herself, her old home, in
Darrowtown, that she still wore black for her father, and that she had
been sent by her friends to Uncle Jabez because he was supposed to be
better able to take care of and educate her. Helen listened very
earnestly to the tale, but she shook her head at the end of it.

"I don't know," she said. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Ruthie.
But Jabez Potter isn't liked very well by people in general, although
I guess he is a good miller. He is stingy--"

I must say it. He isn't given to kind actions, and I am surprised that
he should have agreed to take and educate you. Of course, he didn't
have to."

"I don't suppose he did have to," Ruth said, slowly. "And it wasn't as
though I couldn't have remained in Darrowtown. But Miss True Pettis--"