“Is it good?” Elaine didn’t need to ask what Annabelle was talking about, for she’d been waiting almost a week for this issue to hit the streets.

“It’s beyond good. It’s perfect!”

She read the article aloud to Elaine. Everything was here, from the scientific test run in Good Housekeeping’s own laboratory on the “applesauce” that contained no apples, to the lack of listed ingredients and the inclusion of chemicals not yet proven safe for human consumption. They even included a laudatory mention of the Department of Agriculture and their nascent efforts to ensure a pure food supply. Better still, the article never once mentioned her or Gray’s name, which was all to the good, for they were both private people, and this matter was too important for either of them to claim credit.

She would send a copy of this to her parents. On that frigid day when her parents had waved good-bye to them from a train station in the middle of Kansas, none of them could have imagined such important work, and it made her sit a little taller. Was this what pride felt like? She’d played only a tiny part in this accomplishment, but it suddenly felt like she could conquer the world.

Had Gray seen it yet?

Her smile dimmed, but only a little. She hadn’t seen Gray since that day in the Springfield train station, but she thought of him daily.

Today was a good day for both of them, even if they couldn’t share it together. Days this perfect didn’t come along very often, and she would choose to celebrate the joy rather than dwell on the sad. The world was a huge, wide-open landscape bursting with opportunity, and it was up to her to choose how she would live in it. God had blessed her with a sound mind and the freedom to make choices in life. It was a blessing she must not squander.

Annabelle still nursed a quiet sense of elation the following morning as she headed to work. Was it just her imagination, or were the flowers in the experimental garden a little more fragrant this morning? She was finding a sense of purpose in the world, and it felt good.

She rolled the issue of Good Housekeeping in her hands as she mounted the steps to the lab. How could she ensure that higher-ups in the department saw it? Horace Greenfield and Mr. Bryant certainly knew, but she couldn’t expect anyone outside their lab to be aware of her role in this. She didn’t want to boast, but this was a significant accomplishment and perfectly aligned with one of the department’s major initiatives.

She was still debating how best to alert others in the department when she arrived in the lab. Good heavens, so many people crammed into their tiny workspace!

“There’s the famous Miss Larkin!” Horace said.