Phœbe waited until her teacher had seen and admired several, then she tugged at the silk sleeve ever so gently and whispered, "D'ye want to see some of the things I made?" Miss Lee smiled and nodded and the two stole away to the child's room. Phœbe closed the door. "This is my room and this is my Hope Chest," she said proudly. Among many of the Pennsylvania Dutch the Hope Chest has long been considered an important part of a girl's belongings. During her early childhood a large chest is secured and the stocking of it becomes a pleasant duty. Into it are laid the girl's discarded infant clothes; patchwork quilts and comfortables pieced by herself or by some fond grandmother or mother or aunt; homespun sheets and towels that have been handed down from other generations; ginghams, linens and minor household articles that might be useful in her own home. When the girl leaves the old nest for one of her own building the Hope Chest goes with her as a valuable portion of her dowry. "Hope Chest," echoed Miss Lee. "Do you have a Hope Chest?" "Ach, yes, long already! Aunt Maria says it's for when I grow up and get married and live in my own home, but I--why, I don't know at all yet if I want to get married. When I say that to her she says still that I can be glad I have the chest anyhow, for old maids need covers and aprons and things too." "You dear child," Miss Lee said, laughing, "you do say the funniest things!" "But"--Phœbe raised her flushed face--"you ain't laughing at me to make fun?" "Oh, Phœbe, I love you too much for that. It's just that you are different." "Ach, but I'm glad! And that's why I want to show you my things." She opened the lid of her chest and brought out a quilt, then another, and another. "This is all mine. And I finished another one this summer that Aunt Maria is going to quilt this fall yet. Then I'll have nine already. Ain't--isn't that a lot?" "Yes, indeed," laughed the teacher. "Just nine more than I have." "Why"--Phœbe stared in surprise--"don't you have quilts in your Hope Chest?" "I haven't even the Hope Chest." "No Hope Chest! Now, that's funny! I thought every girl that could have a chest for the money had a Hope Chest!" "I never heard of a Hope Chest before I came to Greenwald." "Now don't it beat all!" The child was very serious. "We ain't at all like other people, I believe. I wonder why we are so different from you people. Oh, I know we talk different from you, and mostly look different from you and I guess we do things a lot different from you--do you think, Miss Lee, oh, do you think that I could _ever_ get like you?" "Yes----" Miss Lee showed hesitancy. "For sure?" Phœbe asked, quick to note the slight delay in the answer. "Yes, I am sure you could, dear. You can learn to dress, speak and act as people do in the great cities--but are you sure that you want to do so?"