Publisher's Synopsis
"Pattykins, good-bye. The year will soon pass away, and then we'll have a jolly little home together," Patty Fairfield's father told her when he put her on the train. (She was going north to visit relatives for the year, while her fathersettled business here Virginia, where he'd come to make his fortune.) "Be brave and gentle always, and as a parting gift I give you this little box which contains a talisman to help you bear any troubles or difficulties that may come to you."
As he spoke, he put into Patty's hand a small parcel sealed at each end with red sealing-wax.
"Don't open it now," he continued. "Keep it just as it is until you reach Aunt Isabel's. Then after you have gone to your room on the first night of your stay with her, open the box and see what is in it."
Then the warning whistle blew, and with a final embrace of his little daughter, Mr. Fairfield left the car.
The train started, and for a moment Patty saw her father waving his handkerchief, and then he was lost to her sight. She felt just like indulging in a good cry, but Miss Powers (who was to travel with her till she reached her aunt) would have none of that.
