"The apples are two cents apiece, ma'am, and the cakes a cent
apiece."
Ida, who had been looking out of the window, turned suddenly round,
and exclaimed, in great astonishment; "Why, William Fitts, is that
you?"
"Why, Ida, where did you come from?" asked the boy, his surprise
equalling her own.
The nurse bit her lips in vexation at this unexpected recognition.
"I'm making a little journey with her," indicating Mrs. Hardwick.
"So you're going to Philadelphia," said the boy.
"To Philadelphia!" said Ida, in surprise. "Not that I know of."
"Why, you're most there now."
"Are we, Mrs. Hardwick?" asked Ida, looking in her companion's face.
"It isn't far from there where we're going," said the nurse,
shortly. "Boy, I'll take two of your apples and four seed-cakes. And
now you'd better go along, for there's somebody by the stove that
looks as if he wanted to buy of you."
William looked back as if he would like to question Ida farther, but
her companion looked forbidding, and he passed on reluctantly.
"Who is that boy?" asked the nurse, abruptly.
"His name is William Fitts."
"Where did you get acquainted with him?"
"He went to school with Jack, so I used to see him sometimes."
"With Jack! Who's Jack?"
"What! Don't you know Jack, brother Jack?" asked Ida, in childish
surprise.
"O yes," replied the nurse, recollecting herself; "I didn't think of
him.
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