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Business web strategy design alignment and application
1st Edition Latif Al-Hakim Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Latif Al-hakim, Massimo Memmola, Latif Al-hakim, Massimo
Memmola
ISBN(s): 9781605660257, 1605660256
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 9.14 MB
Year: 2008
Language: english

Business Web Strategy:
Design, Alignment,
and Application
Latif Al-Hakim
University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Massimo Memmola
Catholic University, Italy
Hershey • New York
Information science reference

Director of Editorial Content: Kristin Klinger
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Business web strategy : design, alignment and application / Latif Al-Hakim and Massimo Memmola, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: "This book addresses the gap in business Web strategy through a collection of concentrated managerial issues, gathering the
latest theoretical frameworks, case studies, and research pertaining to maximizing the power of the Web"--Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-60566-024-0 (hbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-60566-025-7 (ebook)
1. Information technology--Management. 2. Electronic commerce. 3. Internet. I. Al-Hakim, Latif, 1946- II. Memmola, Massimo.
HD30.2.B88 2009
658.8'72--dc22
2008024387
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the library's complimentary electronic access to this publication.

Editorial Advisory Board
Joseph Barjis
University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point, USA
Chiara Frigerio
Luigi Geppert
Svenja Hagenhoff
University of Goettingen, Germany
Kevin K. W. Ho
The Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology, Hong Kong
Orla Kirwan
National University of Ireland, Ireland
Fernando Jose Barbin Laurindo
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Bernard Ostheimer
University of Giessen, Germany
Krassie Petrova
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Mahesh Raisinghani
The TWU School of Management, USA
Javier Soriano
Universidad Politécnica De Madrid, Spain
Maria Alessandra Torsello
University of Bari, Italy
Jiri Vorisek
University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic
Vincent C. Yen
Wright State University, USA
Silvia Novaes Zilber
The Uninove, Brazil

Table of Contents
Foreword .
............................................................................................................................................xvi
Preface .
..............................................................................................................................................xviii
Section I
Design Web Strategy
Chapter I
Using Patterns for Engineering High-Quality E-Commerce Applications.............................................. 1
Pankaj Kamthan, Concordia University, Canada
Hsueh-Ieng Pai, Concordia University, Canada
Chapter II
Informing Industry via Academic Research in ICT Skill and Capability Development....................... 26
Krassie Petrova, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Dawn Medlin, Appalachian State University, USA
Chapter III
The Impact of New Trends in the Delivery and Utilization of Enterprise ICT on Supplier
and User Organizations.......................................................................................................................... 46
Jiri Vorisek, University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic
George Feuerlicht, University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic
Chapter IV
Enterprise 2.0: Collaboration and Knowledge Emergence as a Business Web Strategy Enabler.
......... 61
Javier Soriano, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
David Lizcano, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Marcos Reyes, Telefónica I+D, Spain
Fernando Alonso, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Genoveva López, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain

Chapter V
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): An In-Depth Analysis................................................... 94
Mahesh Raisinghani, TWU School of Management, USA
Abdu Albur, Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dhahran,
Eastern Province
Sue Leferink, Montana Department of Commerce, USA
Thomas Lyle, PNC, USA
Stephen Proctor, CSC, USA
Chapter VI
Different Web Strategies for Different E-Marketplaces...................................................................... 118
L. Geppert, Catholic University of Milan, Italy
Section II
Aligning Web Strategy to Corporate Strategy
Chapter VII
Trends of Web Services Adoption: A Synthesis................................................................................... 134
Vincent C. Yen, Wright State University, USA
Chapter VIII
Web & RFId Technology: New Frontiers in Costing and Process Management
for Rehabilitation Medicine................................................................................................................. 145
Massimo Memmola, Catholic University, Italy
Giovanna Palumbo, Ospedale Valduce, Italy
Mauro Rossini, Ospedale Valduce, Italy
Chapter IX
The Web Strategy Development in the Automotive Sector................................................................. 170
Alessandra Tzannis, Catholic University, Italy
Chapter X
Adaptive Mobile Web Browsing Using Web Mining Technologies.................................................... 198
Wen-Chen Hu, University of North Dakota, USA
Yanjun Zuo, University of North Dakota, USA
Lei Chen, Sam Houston State University, USA
Chyuan-Huei Thomas Yang, Hsuan Chuang University, Taiwan
Chapter XI
Integration of Public University Web Sites and Learning Management Systems............................... 208
Bernard Ostheimer, University of Giessen, Germany
Axel C. Schwickert, University of Giessen, Germany

Chapter XII
Innovating through the Web: The Banking Industry Case................................................................... 219
Chiara Frigerio, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Section III
Applications of Web Strategy
Chapter XIII
An Action Research Case Study of the Facilitators and Inhibitors of E-Commerce Adoption........... 236
Orla Kirwan, National University of Ireland, Ireland
Kieran Conboy, National University of Ireland, Ireland
Chapter XIV
Acceptance of the Mobile Internet as a Distribution Channel for Paid Content in Germany............. 248
Svenja Hagenhoff, University of Goettingen, Germany
Christian Kaspar, University of Goettingen, Germany
Lutz Seidenfaden, University of Goettingen, Germany
Björn Ortelbach, University of Goettingen, Germany
Chapter XV
Information Quality Satisfaction of Communication Portals: A Study of Central Cyber
Government Office (CCGO) of the Hong Kong Government............................................................. 264
Kevin K.W. Ho, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Chapter XVI
The Evaluation of IT Investments through Real Options.................................................................... 277
Maria Alice Frontini, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Fernando José Barbin Laurindo, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Chapter XVII
Strategic Use of the Internet and Organizational Structure for E-Business:
“Celta” Case at GM Brazil.
.................................................................................................................. 298
Silvia Novaes Zilber, UNINOVE, Brazil
Chapter XVIII
On the Use of Soft Computing Techniques for Web Personalization.................................................. 318
G. Castellano, University of Bari, Italy
A. M. Fanelli, University of Bari, Italy
M. A. Torsello, University of Bari, Italy
Compilation of References ............................................................................................................... 340
About the Contributors .................................................................................................................... 371
Index.................................................................................................................................................... 380

Detailed Table of Contents
Foreword .
............................................................................................................................................xvi
Preface .
..............................................................................................................................................xviii
Section I
Design Web Strategy
The objective of the book’s first section, which is subdivided into six chapters, is to look into the dif-
ferent Web strategy planning routes in different corporate contexts, in order to obtain optimal use of the
Internet’s technology potentials.
Chapter I
Using Patterns for Engineering High-Quality E-Commerce Applications.............................................. 1
Pankaj Kamthan, Concordia University, Canada
Hsueh-Ieng Pai, Concordia University, Canada
In this chapter, the authors view the development and maintenance of high-quality electronic commerce
(e-commerce) applications from a Web engineering perspective. A methodology for deploying patterns
as means for improving the quality of e-commerce applications is presented. To that regard, relevant
quality attributes and corresponding stakeholder types for the e-commerce applications are identified.
The role of development process, the challenges in making optimal use of patterns, and feasibility issues
involved in doing so, are analyzed. The activities of a systematic selection and application of patterns
are explored. Examples illustrating the use of patterns during macro- and micro-architecture design of
business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce applications are given. The implications of the use of patterns
in a Semantic Web context are briefly highlighted.
Chapter II
Informing Industry via Academic Research in ICT Skill and Capability Development....................... 26
Krassie Petrova, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Dawn Medlin, Appalachian State University, USA
In recent years significant changes have occurred in the skill sets underpinning the undergraduate in-
formation systems and information technology curricula. It is imperative that educators comprehend
the needs and demands of the industry where their graduates are going to need to apply their acquired

knowledge and skills. It may be argued that employers and job recruiters also need to be aware of what
skill sets and capabilities new graduates may be expected to come equipped with, in order to develop
successful strategies for retaining and growing staff in an environment where the demand for profes-
sionals in information and communications technologies (ICT) exceeds the supply. In this chapter, a
research framework representing the dynamics of the ICT profession supply and demand of graduates
with relevant skills and capabilities is used to facilitate the initiation of a dialogue between industry and
academia with the objective to identify issues raised from the lack of alignment between the two and to
suggest a way of using academic research results to address these issues. The discussion is supported
by the findings of two relevant case studies.
Chapter III
The Impact of New Trends in the Delivery and Utilization of Enterprise ICT on Supplier
and User Organizations.......................................................................................................................... 46
Jiri Vorisek, University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic
George Feuerlicht, University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic
Enterprise information systems have rapidly evolved over the last decade. We expect these changes to
accelerate during this decade as a result of new trends in enterprise computing. We argue in this chapter
that ICT remains strategically important to organizations in the 21st century despite the prevailing trend
to outsource ICT and related business processes. We have identified a number of important trends that
include the move towards the software as a service (SaaS) model for enterprise applications, increased
commitment to process orientation, and emphasis on managing the relationship between business and
ICT using services. These trends lead to more effective management of ICT and closer integration of
ICT with entrepreneurial activities and business processes in organizations, resulting in improvements
in return on investment. These trends will have dramatic impact on both the suppliers and users of ICT,
and will necessitate the reevaluation of the approach to ICT education as both the composition and
qualifications of ICT workforce will undergo a fundamental change.
Chapter IV
Enterprise 2.0: Collaboration and Knowledge Emergence as a Business Web Strategy Enabler.
......... 61
Javier Soriano, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
David Lizcano, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Marcos Reyes, Telefónica I+D, Spain
Fernando Alonso, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Genoveva López, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
This chapter explores the Internet’s present and future potential in relation to information sharing,
knowledge management, innovation management, and the automation of cross-organizational business
transactions. It points out how a business Web strategy that takes into account this potential will help
not only to improve the existing information sharing and knowledge management processes, but also to
protect investments in technology that would otherwise have resulted in expensive failures and severe
losses. The suggested approach is based on the emerging Web 2.0 vision and will help to minimize the
risk of key information and knowledge being lost or simply not being available on time for the stake-
holder, projects started and never finished, worse time to market, results not meeting expectations, failure

of global, cross-organizational IT integration processes or even incoherencies between technology and
company strategy or structure, and so on. All managers, and particularly IT leaders, must be aware of
this new potential and its implications in order to come up with innovative and effective answers to
both known and new problems related to information sharing and knowledge management within their
organizations. The chapter’s contents are designed to guide entrepreneurs, managers, and IT leaders
through the adoption of the latest Internet technologies, such as Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, and the global
service-oriented architecture, and their application to their everyday work with a view to setting up a
business Web strategy. Musser and O’Reilly (2006) claim that by defining and following a set of archi-
tecture building blocks, architectural design decisions, and normative guidance, they can build flexible,
extensible, and reusable solutions for exploiting the best features of the emerging Web 2.0 technology
suite to achieve the best ROI by leveraging the upcoming Web of user-centered services.
Chapter V
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): An In-Depth Analysis................................................... 94
Mahesh Raisinghani, TWU School of Management, USA
Abdu Albur, Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dhahran,
Eastern Province
Sue Leferink, Montana Department of Commerce, USA
Thomas Lyle, PNC, USA
Stephen Proctor, CSC, USA
This chapter discusses customer relationship management (CRM) as a customer focused business strategy
enhanced by technology that automates and enhances business processes to proactively manage profit-
able and long-term customer relationships. CRM solutions span a continuum of implementations from a
narrow tactical implementation of a specific technical solution to a broad strategic implementation of a
customer centric solution. Furthermore, the authors hope that understanding the underlying assumptions
and theoretical constructs through the use of CRM will not only inform researchers of a better CRM
design for studying e-commerce and Internet marketing, but also assist in the understanding of intricate
relationships between different factors.
Chapter VI
Different Web Strategies for Different E-Marketplaces...................................................................... 118
L. Geppert, Catholic University of Milan, Italy
This chapter presents two possible models of electronic marketplaces put in place at the beginning of this
century, which, after their introduction, the first incoming wave of connected economy-based paradigms
was ended. Both the two models show a particular use of Web-based information technology in order
to exploit their mission and represent meaningful cases of application of well-defined Web strategies.
Even though, at the moment, the initially built up Web sites supporting those related business have been
closed and merged with other Web sites, they may introduce examples of a Web strategy approach hav-
ing a relevant historical meaning that may be still redefined in practical implementations once revised
and adequately updated. The mentioned cases described in this chapter are usteel.com and up2gold.
com, two examples of Web-based business in two well-defined supply chains: the “steel” chain and the
“gold and silver” chain.

Section II
Aligning Web Strategy to Corporate Strategy
The second section is dedicated to the subject of the Web strategy alignment with the corporate strategy.
The six articles hosted in this section discuss this theme focusing their attention not only on the aspects
related to the development of the public presence on the Web (Memmola and Tzannis; Frigerio), but
also through an analytical perspective which can either be a technique (Yen; Wen-Chen Hu, Yanjun
Zuo, Lei Chen and Chyuan-Huei Thomas Yang), or integrate other technologies (Axel C. Schwickert,
Bernard Ostheimer) or integrate cost measurement and performance management processes (Massimo
Memmola, Giovanna Palumbo and Mauro Rossini).
Chapter VII
Trends of Web Services Adoption: A Synthesis................................................................................... 134
Vincent C. Yen, Wright State University, USA
The technology of Web services has been a hot area in the software industry for many years. Many
organizations in the past 5 years have conducted surveys designed to get a profile of the state of Web
services adoption in various subject areas. Some of those survey results are available free from the In-
ternet. Since conducting a large scale Web services survey takes time and significant financial commit-
ment, the research conducted in this chapter is a synthesis from published free survey results.All sources
of surveys indicate Web services are being adopted more or less in all mid-size to large organizations
because of realized benefits, and are anticipated to become a viable component of information systems
infrastructure. Some of the current issues in Web services adoption and implementation are standards,
training, and security.
Chapter VIII
Web & RFId Technology: New Frontiers in Costing and Process Management
for Rehabilitation Medicine................................................................................................................. 145
Giovanna Palumbo, Ospedale Valduce, Italy
Mauro Rossini, Ospedale Valduce, Italy
Radio frequency identification (RFId) has recently begun to receive increased interest from practitioners
and academics. This type of technology has been widely used in healthcare organizations for different
purposes, like to localize patients, devices, and medical instruments. This chapter presents the results
of a study in which we used RFId technology and modern systems of cost management methodologies
(e.g., activity-based costing, activity-based management, and process management) in a “proof of ap-
plication” aimed at defining some specific data on care needs of a person with a disability, costs of the
main activities performed during the person’s rehabilitation process, and level of performance which
could be reached in order to improve the “disability management” process, from a clinical as well as a
managerial perspective.

Chapter IX
The Web Strategy Development in the Automotive Sector................................................................. 170
Alessandra Tzannis, Catholic University, Italy
Especially in recent years, indeed, a transformation is ongoing: the Web, besides being a means of infor-
mation sharing (internal-external), becomes a powerful tool for saving costs, reducing the distribution
structure, initiating distance transactions, and ever more becomes a mechanism of integration with the
external environment and a catalyst of experiences for all stakeholder. Starting from the identification of
the key elements, potentialities, and of the impact of the Internet on firms’performance, competitiveness,
effectiveness, and efficiency, this chapter is focused on the changes in the automotive sector due to the
integration between business strategy and Web strategy. Therefore, starting from the consideration of
a clear identification and subsequent sharing need of strategic goals, a research work will be presented
exploring, on the basis of an interpretative model, the Internet potential in the automotive sector, in
order to achieve the identification of an optimal path definition and development of Web strategy. This
objective will be developed through a desk analysis focused on the strategic positioning of the current
businesses in the automotive sector (i.e., complexity evaluation of the presence on Internet, strategic
architecture, quality, and effectiveness of the presence).
Chapter X
Adaptive Mobile Web Browsing Using Web Mining Technologies.................................................... 198
Wen-Chen Hu, University of North Dakota, USA
Yanjun Zuo, University of North Dakota, USA
Lei Chen, Sam Houston State University, USA
Chyuan-Huei Thomas Yang, Hsuan Chuang University, Taiwan
Using mobile handheld devices such as smart cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to
browse the mobile Internet is a trend of Web browsing. However, the small screens of handheld devices
and slow mobile data transmission make the mobile Web browsing awkward. This research applies Web
usage mining technologies to adaptive Web viewing for handheld devices. Web usage mining is the ap-
plication of data mining techniques to the usage logs of large Web data repositories in order to produce
results that can be applied to many practical subjects, such as improving Web sites/pages. A Web usage
mining system must be able to perform five major functions: (i) usage data gathering, (ii) data preparation,
(iii) navigation pattern discovery, (iv) pattern analysis and visualization, and (v) pattern applications.
This approach improves the readability and download speed of mobile Web pages.
Chapter XI
Integration of Public University Web Sites and Learning Management Systems............................... 208
Bernard Ostheimer, University of Giessen, Germany
Axel C. Schwickert, University of Giessen, Germany
Internet technology has found its way into all areas of business and research. The World Wide Web is also
used at universities to achieve different goals. On the one hand, it acts as a means of outer appearance
(target groups: potential, current, and former students, researchers, lecturers, press, the interested public-
ity, etc.), on the other hand, as an instrument of knowledge transfer and knowledge examination (target

groups: potential, former, and current students and lecturers). There exist other purposes in addition to
those named above. Often different systems are used to achieve the different goals: usually, Web content
management systems (WCMS) are used for the outer appearance and learning management systems
(LMS) for transfer and examination of knowledge. Although these systems use the same medium (i.e.,
the WWW), it can be stated that often there is a heterogeneous landscape of systems. Resultant is the
object of investigation of the present chapter. It analyzes the challenges concerning the integration of
public Web sites and learning management systems (LMS) a typical European university has to face. The
research framework used for investigation thus can be divided into two categories regarding the system
types used: WCMS and LMS. In praxi, there is more than one system per system category implemented
at a university because of the organizational conditions explained in this chapter.
Chapter XII
Innovating through the Web: The Banking Industry Case................................................................... 219
Chiara Frigerio, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
In recent years, the financial services industry has been witness to considerable consolidation and orga-
nizational progress in order to sustain two main objectives: efficiency and commercial effectiveness. In
order to sustain customer-oriented and efficiency strategies, banks have started to explore new ways of
conducting their business, introducing areas of innovation in their services, practices, and structures to
offer the most complete array of services possible. On the other hand, new services and products drive
retail banks to explore new ways of producing or delivering these novelties. This is true especially for
Internet banking services that offer services to customers 24/7, and it becomes clear that adding new
services, that is, trading online or bill payments, is easily and quickly geared towards improving com-
mercial effectiveness. The following chapter aims at describing to what extent the Internet has developed
new services and businesses, and what are the main figures of the phenomenon in Europe. Moreover,
the Tnternet has introduced new coordination processes within each financial institution. Let us think
about Intranet portal, content management tools, and business process management suites, which are now
quite spread in banks due mainly to their technological easy of use. Thus, the Internet is representing an
innovation wave extremely relevant for the financial industry as a whole, and the effects on banks’ per-
formance is emerging. What do we expect in the near future? In all probability, the usage of Web-based
application will be bigger and bigger also in other contexts of the bank processes, even if some risks
could occur when clear strategies and change management practices do not direct the innovation.
Section III
Applications of Web Strategy
The six chapters of the third section present the results of research work and empirical evidence on the
application of Web strategy’s principles and methodologies in various operational contexts.
Chapter XIII
An Action Research Case Study of the Facilitators and Inhibitors of E-Commerce Adoption........... 236
Orla Kirwan, National University of Ireland, Ireland
Kieran Conboy, National University of Ireland, Ireland

This research has studied an established Irish retail business as it takes its first tentative steps into the
e-commerce arena. Although the adoption of e-commerce is widely studied in the academic world, only
a small percentage of these studies focus on the small to medium size enterprise (SME) retail sector.
SMEs account for 97% of Irish companies and employ up to 800,000 people (Chamber of Commerce
Ireland, 2006). While examining the SME’s adoption of e-commerce, the factors that affected the adop-
tion process were specifically identified and understood. This was achieved by conducting an action
research case study. Action research merges research and practice, thus producing exceedingly relevant
research findings. This chapter demonstrates how the research was undertaken, and also discusses the
justification, benefits, and limitations of using action research. The research concluded that the adoption
of e-commerce within the SME sector tends to be slow and fragmented, the presence of a “Web cham-
pion” is paramount to the success of the project, and Internet adoption is faster with the recognition of
a business need. It also supported the evidence that an SME is more likely to adopt e-commerce when
the SME owner has a positive attitude towards IT.
Chapter XIV
Acceptance of the Mobile Internet as a Distribution Channel for Paid Content in Germany............. 248
Svenja Hagenhoff, University of Goettingen, Germany
Christian Kaspar, University of Goettingen, Germany
Lutz Seidenfaden, University of Goettingen, Germany
Björn Ortelbach, University of Goettingen, Germany
This chapter is about a survey based on 7,178 valid responses which analyses the mobile content usage
in Germany. Key findings are that paid mobile contents will not be a mass market in the medium term.
Nevertheless, we found that respondents that are familiar with mobile radio and handset technology and
read specialized printed media on a regular basis showed the highest acceptance of mobile paid contents.
The mobile Internet is perceived as a chance for the media industry to generate additional revenues from
paid contents. Successful business models for the mobile Internet will only be possible if mobile content
formats generate added consumer value. In this context, media companies planning to establish mobile
services for content distribution are facing the problem that acceptance of mobile services has not yet
been researched thoroughly.
Chapter XV
Information Quality Satisfaction of Communication Portals: A Study of Central Cyber
Government Office (CCGO) of the Hong Kong Government............................................................. 264
Kevin K.W. Ho, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Information quality is critical for a communication portal because there are a myriad of information
types, including textual, audio, video, and other complex information types, which an organization has
to manage. In this study, we examine whether information generated from an in-house developed com-
munication portal of the Hong Kong government would have higher quality than those sister portals
developed by individual government departments using commercial packages. We conducted a survey-
based study to understand how users evaluate the information quality of these communication portals.
This portal case is interesting because (1) Hong Kong Government has invested millions of US dollars
in its implementation and (2) the number of potential users is huge (over 140,000).

Chapter XVI
The Evaluation of IT Investments through Real Options.................................................................... 277
Maria Alice Frontini, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Fernando José Barbin Laurindo, University of São Paulo, Brazil
The decisions about IT investments are increasingly more complex, due to technical uncertainties and to
the dynamics of organizational and strategic issues. One promising alternative for solving this problem
would be the use of real options. Thus, this chapter intends to apply a relatively new methodology, called
real options, used in corporate strategy for evaluating and deciding about new investments in IT. In order
to do so, an analytic review of the literature is presented, The real options methodology is particularly
recommended in two situations: in the case of existence of a significant level of uncertainty about the
benefits to be achieved by IT investments, or when IT benefits do not impact directly the current business
but create a platform for future investments, capable of producing future new business impacts.
Chapter XVII
Strategic Use of the Internet and Organizational Structure for E-Business:
“Celta” Case at GM Brazil.
.................................................................................................................. 298
Silvia Novaes Zilber, UNINOVE, Brazil
The Internet provides a global network infrastructure that is shifting business models, strategies, and
processes. Many authors reflect on the importance of incorporating e-business into the firm’s global
strategy. This chapter deals with these issues in discussing the introduction of e-business activities
by General Motors Brazil, specifically in connection with the launch of the Celta car, an entry-level
car designed to be sold on the Internet. A historical examination of e-business strategy shows that
many organizations have formulated excellent conceptual strategies for e-business but failed to deliver
sound execution. A key to successful Internet strategies is the leadership shown by senior management.
Technological demands may also conflict with the successful implementation of e-business initiatives,
requiring greater interaction between the CEO and CIO. The organizational structure implemented for
the launching and sales of the Celta car warranted the integration between employees on the business
side and in IT in the context of GM Brazil’s strategic objective of growing the market share for lower-
priced cars.
Chapter XVIII
On the Use of Soft Computing Techniques for Web Personalization.................................................. 318
G. Castellano, University of Bari, Italy
A. M. Fanelli, University of Bari, Italy
M. A. Torsello, University of Bari, Italy
Due to the growing variety and quantity of information available on the Web, there is urgent need for
developing Web-based applications capable of adapting their services to the needs of the users. This is
the main rationale behind the flourishing area of Web personalization that finds in soft computing (SC)
techniques a valid tool to handle uncertainty in Web usage data and develop Web-based applications
tailored to user preferences. The main reason for this success seems to be the synergy resulting from
SC paradigms, such as fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms. Each of these computing
paradigms provides complementary reasoning and searching methods that allow the use of domain

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"Hold on; I've got a horse blanket here," and he dived under the
seat. "There!" and he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Thanks," she said, briefly, and again her bird-like eyes scanned
the road ahead.
"Hot cakes an' syrup!" she exclaimed, in a voice of resigned
distress, "there's the North Marsden lady-board comin'. They must
have 'phoned her. Say, mister, lemme sneak under here. If she holes
you up, you'll have to tell a lie."
The young man grinned delightedly as the little girl slipped
through the blanket and disappeared under the lap-robe. Then he
again went skimming over the snow.
There was a very grand sleigh approaching him, with a befurred
coachman on the seat driving a pair of roan horses, and behind him
a gray-haired lady smothered in handsome robes.
"Please stop!" she called pathetically, to the approaching young
man.
The creamery shark pulled up his mare, and blinked thoughtfully
at her.
"Oh, have you seen a little girl?" she said excitedly; "a poor little
girl, very thin and miserable, and with a lame, brown dog limping
after her? She's wandering somewhere—the unfortunate, misguided
child. We have had such trouble with her at the Middle Marsden
Asylum—the orphan asylum, you know. We have fed her and clothed
her, and now she's run away."
The fat young man became preternaturally solemn, the more so
as he heard a low growl somewhere in the region of his feet.

"Did she have black hair as lanky as an Injun's?" he asked.
"Yes, yes."
"And a kind o' sickly green dress?"
"Oh, yes, and a dark complexion."
"And a sort of steely air as if she'd dare the world?"
"That's it; oh, yes, she wasn't afraid of any one."
"Then I've sighted your game," he said, gravely, very gravely,
considering that the "game" was pinching one of his legs.
"I'll give you the scent," he went on. "Just follow this road till you
come to the three pine-trees at the cross. Then turn toward
Spruceville."
"Oh, thank you, thank you. I'm ever so much obliged. But was she
on foot or driving?"
"Driving like sixty, sitting up on the seat beside a smooth old
farmer with a red wig on, and a face as long as a church."
"A red wig!" exclaimed the lady. "Why, that's Mr. Dabley—he's one
of our advisory committee."
"Dabley or Grabley, he's driving with one of your orphans. I see
her as plain as day sitting beside him—brown face, faded black hat,
sickly green frock, bundle on her lap."
"Farmer Dabley—incredible! How one can be deceived. Drive on,
Matthew. We must try to overtake them. Had he one horse or two?"
"A pair, ma'am—a light-legged team—a bay and a cream. He's a
regular old sport."

"He's a Mephistopheles if he's helping that child to escape," said
the lady, warmly. "I'll give him a piece of my mind."
Her coachman started his horses, and the little girl under the robe
was beginning to breathe freely when a shout from the young man
brought her heart to her mouth.
"Say, ma'am, was that a striped or a plain shawl she had her dog
wrapped in?"
"Striped—she had the impudence to steal it from the matron, and
leave a note saying she did it because her jacket was locked up, and
she was afraid her dog would freeze—I'm under a great obligation to
you, sir."
"No obligation," he said, lifting his hat. "I'm proud to set you on
the chase after such a bad young one. That's your girl, ma'am. Her
shawl was striped. I didn't tell you she had the nerve to ask me to
take her in."
"Not really—did she?" the lady called back; then she added,
wonderingly, "but I thought you met her driving with Farmer
Dabley?"
They had both turned around, and were talking over their
shoulders.
There was a terrible commotion under the lap-robe, and the
young man felt that he must be brief.
"If you bark I'll break your neck," he heard the refugee say in a
menacing whisper, and, to cover a series of protesting growls, he
shouted, lustily, "Yes, ma'am, but first I passed her on foot. Then I
turned back, and she was with the farmer. That young one has got

the face of a government mule, but I'm used to mules, and when
she asked me I said, ''Pears to me, little girl, you favour a runaway,
and I ain't got no room for runaways in this narrow rig, 'specially as
I'm taking a bundle of clothing to my dear old father'—likewise a
young pig," he added, as there was a decided squeal from between
his feet.
"Thank you, thank you," came faintly after him as he started off at
a spanking gait, and, "You're badder than I thought you was," came
reproachfully from the tumbled head peeping above the lap-robe.
"You're grateful!" he said, ironically.
"I'm bad, but I only asked the Lord to forgive the lies I'd got to
tell," said the little girl as she once more established herself on the
seat. "You should 'a' said, 'No, ma'am, I didn't see the little girl'—an'
druv on."
"I guess you're kind of mixed in your opinions," he remarked.
"I ain't mixed in my mind. I see things as straight as that air
road," she replied. "I said, 'This is a bad business, for I've got to run
away, but I'll be as square as I can.'"
She paused suddenly, and her companion asked, "What's up with
you?"
"Nothin'," she said, faintly, "only I feel as if there was a rat inside
o' me. You ain't got any crackers round, have you?"
"No, but I've got something better," and he drew a flask from the
pocket of his big ulster and put it to her mouth.
Her nostrils dilated. "I'm a Loyal Legion girl."

"Loyal Legion—what's that?"
"Beware of bottles, beware of cups,
Evil to him who evil sups."
"Oh! a temperance crank," and he laughed. "Well, here's a hunk of
cake I put in my pocket last night."
The little girl ate with avidity the section of a rich fruit loaf he
handed her.
"How about your dog?" asked the young man.
"Oh, I guess he ain't hungry," she said, putting a morsel against
the brown muzzle thrust from the shawl. "Everythin' was locked up
last night, an' there warn't enough lunch for him an' me—see, he
ain't for it. He knows when hunger stops an' greed begins. That's
poetry they taught us."
"Tell us about that place you've been raised. No, stop—you're kind
of peaked-looking. Settle down an' rest yourself till we pull up for
dinner. I'll gabble on a bit if you'll give me a starter."
"I guess you favour birds an' things, don't you?" she observed,
shrewdly.
"Yaw—do you?"
"Sometimes I think I'm a bird," she said, vehemently, "or a worm
or somethin'. If I could 'a' caught one o' them crows this mornin' I'd
'a' hugged it an' kissed it. Ain't they lovely?"
"Well, I don' know about lovely," said the young man, in a judicial
manner, "but the crow, as I take him, is a kind of long-suffering
orphan among birds. From the minute the farmers turn up these

furrows under the snow, the crow works like fury. Grubs just fly
down his red throat, and grasshoppers ain't nowhere, but because
he now and then lifts a hill o' petetters, and pulls a mite o' corn
when it gets toothsome, and makes way once in so often with a fat
chicken that's a heap better out o' the world than in it, the farmers is
down on him, the Legislature won't protect him, and the crow—
man's good friend—gets shot by everybody and everything!"
"I wish I was a queen," said the little girl, passionately.
"Well, sissy, if you ever get to be one, just unmake a few laws that
are passed to please the men who have a pull. Here in Maine you
might take the bounty off bob-cats, an' let 'em have their few sheep,
an' you might stand between the mink and the spawning trout, and
if you want to put a check on the robins who make war on the
cherries an' strawberries, I guess it would be more sensible than
chasing up the crows."
"I'm remarkin' that you don't beat your horse," said his
companion, abruptly.
"That mare," said the young man, reflectively, "is as smart as I be,
and sometimes I think a thought smarter."
"You wouldn't beat that little dog," she said, holding up her
bundle.
"Bet your striped shawl I wouldn't."
"I like you," she said, emphatically. "I guess you ain't as bad as
you look."
The young man frowned slightly, and fell into another reverie.

CHAPTER II.
EVEN SHARKS HAVE TENDER HEARTS.
The old Moss Glen Inn, elm-shaded and half covered by creeping
vines, is a favourite resort for travellers in the eastern part of Maine,
for there a good dinner can be obtained in a shorter space of time
than in any other country hotel in the length and breadth of the
State.
"And all because there's a smart woman at the head of it,"
explained the young man to the little waif beside him. "There she is
—always on hand."
A round, good-natured face, crowning a rotund, generous figure,
smiled at them from the kitchen window, but while the eyes smiled,
the thick, full lips uttered a somewhat different message to a tall,
thin woman, bending over the stove.
"Ruth Ann, here's that soapy Hank Dillson round again,—takin' in
the farmers, as usual, engagin' them to pay for machinery and
buildings more than are needed, considerin' the number of their
cows, an' he's got a washed-out lookin' young one with him. She'll
make a breach in the victuals, I guess."
Ruth Ann, who was her sister and helper in household affairs,
came and looked over her shoulder, just as Dillson sprang from the
sleigh.

Mrs. Minley stepped to the door, and stood bobbing and smiling as
he turned to her.
"How de do, Mrs. Minley. Give this little girl a place to lie down till
dinner's ready, will you? She's dead beat."
'Tilda Jane walked gravely into the kitchen, and although her head
was heavy, and her feet as light as if they were about to waft her to
regions above, she took time to scrutinise the broad face that would
have been generous but for the deceitful lips, and also to cast a
glance at the hard, composed woman at the window, who looked as
if her head, including the knob of tightly curled hair at the back, had
been carved from flint.
"Step right in this way," said Mrs. Minley, bustling into a small
bedroom on the ground floor.
'Tilda Jane was not used to being waited on, and for one proud
moment she wished that the children in the orphan asylum could
see her. Then a feeling of danger and insecurity overcame her, and
she sank on one of the painted, wooden chairs.
"You're done out," said Mrs. Minley, sympathetically. "Are you a
relation of Mr. Dillson's?"
"No, I ain't."
"You can lie on that bed if you like," said Mrs. Minley, noticing the
longing glance cast at it.
"Well, I guess I will," said 'Tilda Jane, placing her bundle on a
chair, and stooping down to unloose her shoes.

"Stop till I get some newspapers to put on the bed," said the
landlady—"what's in that package? It's moving," and she stared at
the shawl.
"It's a dog."
"Mercy me! I don't allow no dogs in my house."
"All right," said the little girl, patiently putting on her shoes again.
"What you going to do, child?"
"I'm goin' to the wood-shed. Them as won't have my dog won't
have me."
"Land sakes, child, stay where you be! I guess he can't do no
harm if you'll watch him."
"No ma'am, he'll not rampage. He's little, an' he's ole, an' he's
lame, an' he don't care much for walkin'. Sometimes you'll hear
nothin' out o' him all day but a growl or a snap."
The landlady drew away from the bundle, and after she had seen
the tired head laid on the pillow, she softly closed the door of the
room.
In two minutes 'Tilda Jane was asleep. The night before she had
not dared to sleep. To-day, under the protection of the creamery
shark, she could take her rest, her hunger satisfied by the cake he
had given her in the sleigh. The shark crept in once to look at her.
"Ain't she a sight?" he whispered to Mrs. Minley, who accompanied
him, "a half-starved monkey."
She playfully made a thrust at his ribs. "Oh, go 'long with you—
always making your jokes! How can a child look like a monkey?"

He smiled, well pleased at her cajoling tone, then, stretching
himself out in an armchair, he announced that dinner must be
postponed for an hour to let the child have her sleep out.
Mrs. Minley kept a pleasant face before him, but gave vent to
some suppressed grumbling in the kitchen. With fortitude
remarkable in a hungry man, he waited until one o'clock, then,
losing patience, he ate his dinner, and, telling Mrs. Minley that he
had business in the neighbourhood, and would not be back until
supper-time, he drove away in his sleigh.
At six o'clock 'Tilda Jane felt herself gently shaken, and opening
her eyes, she started up in alarm.
"All right—'tain't the police," said Mrs. Minley. "I know all about
you, little girl. You needn't be scared o' me. Get up and have a bite
of supper. Mr. Dillson's going away, and he wants to see you."
'Tilda Jane rose and put on her shoes in silence. Then she
followed the landlady to the next room. For an instant she staggered
back. She had never before seen such a huge, open fireplace, never
had had such a picture presented to her in the steam-heated
orphanage. Fresh from troubled dreams, it seemed as if these logs
were giants' bodies laid crosswise. The red flames were from their
blood that was being licked up against the sooty stones. Then the
ghastliness vanished, and she approvingly took in the picture,—the
fat young creamery shark standing over the white cat and rubbing
her with his toe, the firelight on the wall and snowy table, and the
big lamp on the mantel.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, turning around, "did you make your sleep
out?"

"Yes sir," she said, briefly. "Where shall I put this dog?"
"Don't put him nowhere till we turn this cat out. Scat, pussy!" and
with his foot he gently assisted the small animal kitchenwards.
"Now you can roast your pup here," he said, pointing to the
vacated corner.
"Don't touch him," warned 'Tilda Jane, putting aside his
outstretched hand. "He nips worse'n a lobster."
"Fine dog that," said the young man, ironically. "Come on now,
let's fall to. I guess that rat's rampaging again."
"Yes, he's pretty bad," said 'Tilda Jane, demurely; and she seated
herself in the place indicated.
Mrs. Minley waited on them herself, and, as she passed to and fro
between the dining-room and kitchen, she bestowed many glances
on the lean, lank, little girl with the brown face.
After a time she nudged Hank with her elbow. "Look at her!"
Hank withdrew his attention for a minute from his plate to cast a
glance at the downcast head opposite. Then he dropped his knife
and fork. "Look here! I call this kind of low-down."
'Tilda Jane raised her moist eyes.
"You've got ham and eggs; fried petetters and toast, and two
kinds of preserve, and hot rolls and coffee, and cake and doughnuts,
which is more'n you ever got at the asylum, I'll warrant, and yet
you're crying,—and after all the trouble you've been to me. There's
no satisfying some people."

'Tilda Jane wiped her eyes. "I ain't a-cryin' for the 'sylum," she
said, stolidly.
"Then what are you crying for?"
"I'm cryin' 'cause it's such a long way to Orstralia, an' I don't know
no one. I wish you was a-goin'."
"I wish I was, but I ain't. Come on now, eat your supper."
"I suppose I be a fool," she muttered, picking up her knife and
fork. "I've often heard I was."
"Hi now—I guess you feel better, don't you?" said the young man,
twenty minutes later.
He was in excellent humour himself, and, sitting tilted back in his
chair by the fireplace, played a tune on his big white teeth with a
toothpick.
"Yes, I guess I'm better," said 'Tilda Jane, soberly. "That was a
good supper."
"Hadn't you better feed your pup?" asked the young man. "Seems
to me he must be dead, he's so quiet."
"He's plumb beat out, I guess," said the little girl, and she
carefully removed the dog's queer drapery.
A little, thin, old, brown cur staggered out, with lips viciously rolled
back, and a curious unsteadiness of gait.
"Steady, old boy," said the young man; "my soul and body, he ain't
got but three legs! Whoa—you're running into the table."
"He don't see very well," said 'Tilda Jane, firmly. "His eyes is poor."

"What's the matter with his tail? It don't seem to be hung on
right."
"It wobbles from having tin cans tied to it. Gippie dear, here's a
bone."
"Gippie dear," muttered the young man. "I'd shoot him if he was
my dog."
"If that dog died, I'd die," said the little girl, passionately.
"We've got to keep him alive, then," said the young man, good-
humouredly. "Can't you give him some milk?"
She poured out a saucer full and set it before him. The partially
blind dog snapped at the saucer, snapped at her fingers until he
smelled them and discovered whose they were, then he finally
condescended to lick out the saucer.
"And you like that thing?" said the young man, curiously.
"Like him!—I love him," said 'Tilda Jane, affectionately stroking
the brown, ugly back.
"And when did he give away that leg?"
She shook her head. "It's long to tell. I guess you'd ask me to shut
up afore I got through."

CHAPTER III.
THE STORY OF HER LIFE.
The young man said nothing more at the time, but ten minutes
later, when he was thoughtfully smoking a long brown pipe, and
'Tilda Jane sat in a chair beside him, rocking her dog, he called out
to Mrs. Minley, who was hovering about the room. "Sit down, Mrs.
Minley. P'raps you can get this little girl to talk; I can't."
'Tilda Jane turned sharply to him. "Oh, mister, I'd do anything for
you. I'll talk."
"Well, reel it off then. I've got to start soon."
"What d'ye want to know?" she said, doggedly.
"Everything; tell me where you started from. Was you born in the
asylum?"
"Nobody don't know where I was born. Nobody don't know who I
am, 'cept that a woman come to the poorhouse with me to Middle
Marsden when I was a baby. She died, an' I was left. They give me
the name of 'Tilda Jane Harper, an' put me in the 'sylum. Children
come an' went. Just as soon as I'd get to like 'em they'd be 'dopted;
I never was 'dopted, 'cause I'm so ugly. My eyes ought to 'a' been
blue, an' my hair curly. I might 'a' been a servant, but my habits was
in the way."
"Habits—what habits?" asked Hank.

"Habits of impidence an' pig-headedness. When the men come to
kill the pigs I'd shut myself in my room, an' put my fingers in my
ears, an' I couldn't hear, but I'd always squeal when the pigs
squealed."
"Is that why you wouldn't eat your ham just now?"
"Oh, that ain't ham to me," she said, eloquently. "That bit o' red
meat was a cunnin', teeny white pig runnin' round a pen, cryin'
'cause the butcher's after him. I couldn't eat it, any more'n I'd eat
my brother."
"You're a queer little kite," interjected the young man, and he
exchanged an amused glance with Mrs. Minley, who was swaying
gently back and forth in a rocking-chair.
"So you wasn't very much set up at the asylum?" he went on.
"I guess I'm too bad for a 'sylum. Once our washerwoman took
me home to supper. I guess heaven must be like that. They had a
cat, too. I used to get in most trouble at the 'sylum 'bout cats. When
starvin' ones came rubbin' up agin me in the garden, I couldn't help
sneakin' them a bit o' bread from the pantry. It beats all, how cats
find out people as likes 'em. Then I'd get jerked up."
"Jerked up?" repeated her interlocutor.
"Locked in my room, or have my hands slapped. Once I took a
snake in the house. He was cold, but he got away from me, an' the
matron found him in her bed. She whipped me that time."
"Was that what made you run away?"

"No, I run away on account o' this dog. You call up the cold spell
we had a week ago?"
"You bet—I was out in it."
"Well, there come the coldest night. The matron give us extry
blankets, but I couldn't sleep. I woke up in the middle o' the night,
an' I thought o' that dog out in the stable. 'He'll freeze,' I said, an'
when I said it, it seemed as if icicles were stickin' into me. I was
mos' crazy. I got up an' looked out the window. There was a moon,
an awful bitin', ugly kind of a moon grinnin' at me. I put on some
clo'es, I slipped down-stairs, an' it seemed as if everythin' was yellin'
in the cold. Every board an' every wall I touched went off like a gun,
but no one woke, an' I got out in the stable.
"The horse was warm an' so was the cow, but this little dog was
mos' froze. I tried to warm him, but my fingers got like sticks. Then I
did a scand'lous thing. I says, 'I'll take him in bed with me an' warm
him for a spell, an' no one'll know;' so I lugged him in the house, an'
he cuddled down on my arm just so cunnin'. Then I tried to stay
awake, so I could carry him out early in the mornin', but didn't I fall
to sleep, an' the first thing I knowed there was the matron a-spearin'
me with her eyes, an she put out her hand to ketch the dog, an' he
up an' bit her, an' then there was trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" asked the young man.
"I had bread an' water for two days, an' the dog was shut up in
the stable, an' then I was brought up before the lady-board."
"The lady-board," murmured Mrs. Minley; "what does the child
mean?"

"The board of lady managers," explained Dillson.
"Tell us about it," he said to 'Tilda Jane.
The latter was keeping an eye on the clock. She knew that the
time must soon come for her to part from her new-found friend. It
was not in her nature to be very demonstrative, yet she could not
altogether hide a certain feverishness and anxiety. One thing,
however, she could do, and she subdued her emotion in order to do
it. It amused the young man to hear her talk. She would suppress
her natural inclination to silence and gravity, and try to entertain
him. And the more she talked, possibly the longer he would stay.
Therefore she went on: "There they set round the table as big an'
handsome as so many pies. One lady was at the top, an' she rapped
on the table with a little hammer, an' said, ''Tention, ladies!' Then
she says, 'Here is the 'fortinate object of dissection. What part shall
we tackle fust? Name your wishes, ladies.' Then she stopped an'
another lady begun, 'Mam pressiding, stake the case.'"
The young man took his pipe from his mouth, and Mrs. Minley
ejaculated, "Mercy me!"
"Madam president, I guess," he said, gravely. "Go on, sissy."
'Tilda Jane went on, still with her eye on the clock, and still
speaking feverishly. "The mam pressiding staked me out. Says she,
'Here is a little girl—she come to us like a lily o' the field; no dress
on, no bunnit, no nothin'. We've fed an' clothed the lily, an' guv her
good advice, an' she's lifted up her heel agin us. She deifies us, she
introjuces toads an' snakes into the sacred presings of our
sinningcherry for orphans. She packs a dirty dog in bed. We'll never

levelate her. She's lowering the key of our 'stution. She knows not
the place of reptiles an' quadruples. Ladies, shall we keep this little
disturving lellement in our 'stution? If thy hand 'fend against thee
cut it off. If thy foot straggle, treat it likewise.'
"Then she set down, an' another lady got up. Says she, 'I'm
always for mercy—strained mercy dropping like juice from heaven. If
this little girl is turned inside out, she'll be a bright an' shinin' light. I
prepose that we make the 'speriment. The tastes is in her, but we
can nip off the grati'cations. I remove that instead of disturving her,
we disturve the animiles. Ladies, we has hard work to run this
'stution.'"
"This 'stution?" said the young man.
"Yes, 'stution," repeated 'Tilda Jane, "that's what they call the
'sylum. Well, this lady went on an' says she, 'Let's send away the
cats an' dogs an' all the children's pets—squirrels an' pigeons an'
rabbits, 'cause this little girl's disruptin' every child on the place.
Once when cats come an' other animiles, they was stoned away.
Now they're took in. I come across one little feller jus' now, an'
instead o' learnin' his lesson he was playin' with a beetle. Ticklin' it
with a straw, ladies. Now ain't that awful? We've got 'sponsibilities
toward these foun'lings. I feels like a mother. If we sends 'em foolish
out in the world we'll be blamed. Our faithful matron says it's
unpossible to ketch rats an' mice. This little girl gets at the traps, an'
let's 'em go. She's a born rule-smasher!'
"Then she closed her mouth an' set down, an' the big lady sittin'
at the head o' the table pounded her hammer 'cause they all fell to
jabberin'. Says she, 'Will some lady make a commotion?' Then one

lady got up, an' she says, 'I remove that all animiles be decharged
from this 'stution.'
"'What about the chickings?' called out another lady. 'You must
declude them. This will go on record.' The other lady said, ''Scuse
me, I forgot the chickings. I'll mend my dissolution. I remove that all
quadruples be decharged from this 'stution.'
"That suited some, an' didn't suit t'others, an' there was a kind of
chally-vally. One lady said she's mend the mendment, an' then the
mam pressiding got kind o' mixy-maxy, an' said they'd better start all
over agin, 'cause she'd lose her way 'mong so many mendments.
After a long time, they got their ideas sot, an' they said that I was to
stay, but all the animiles was to go. I didn't snuffle nor nothin', but I
just said, 'Are you plannin' to kill that there dog?'
"The mam pressiding gave a squeal an' said, 'No, that would be
cruel. They would give the dog to some little feller who would be
good to him.' I said, 'Little fellers tie tin cans to dogs' tails'—an' then
they got mad with me an' said I was trespicious. Then I said, 'All
right,' 'cause what could I do agin a whole lot o' lady-boards? But I
made up my mind I'd have to work my way out of it, 'cause it would
kill that little dog to be took from me. So I run away."
Her story was done, and, closing her lips in dogged resolution, she
stared inquiringly at the young man. He was not going to withdraw
his protection from her, she saw that, but what would he direct her
to do next?
He was thoughtfully tapping his pipe against the fireplace, now he
was putting it in his pocket, and now he was going to speak.

"'TILDA JANE SAT LIKE A STATUE."
[Back to LOI]
"Little girl, you've started for Australia, and as I don't believe in
checking a raring, tearing ambition, I won't try to block you, exactly,

but only to sidetrack. You can't go to Australia bang off. It's too far.
And you haven't got the funds. Now I'll make a proposition. I've got
an old father 'most as cranky as that there dog. I guess if you're so
long-suffering with the animal, you'll be long-suffering with the
human. He needs some tidy body to keep his house trigged up, and
to wait on him, 'cause he's lame. He has an everlasting wrastle to
keep a housekeeper on account of this same flash-light temper. But I
guess from what I've seen of you, that you could fix him. And you'd
have a home which you seem to hanker for. And you could save your
money and start for Australia when you've put enough flesh on
those bones to keep you from blowing away into the sea and getting
lost. Starting would be convenient, for my father lives near the big
Canadian railway that is a round the world route. You can step
aboard the cars, go to the Pacific, board a steamer, and go on your
way to Australia. What do you say—is it a bargain?"
'Tilda Jane sat like a statue. The firelight danced behind her little,
grave profile that remained unchanged, save for the big tears rolling
slowly and deliberately down each thin cheek and dropping on the
faded dress. Only the tears and the frantically clasped hands
betrayed emotion.
"I guess it's a go," said the young man, kindly. "Here's my father's
address," and getting up he handed a card to her. "Hobart Dillson,
Ciscasset, Maine. I've got to make tracks now, but Mrs. Minley here
will put you on a train that comes by here in the morning, and all
you've got to do is to sit still in it, till you hear the conductor holler
Ciscasset. Then you hustle out and ask some one where Hobart
Dillson lives. When you get there, don't shake if he throws a crutch
at you. Just tell him you've come to stay, and I'm going to pay extra

for it. That'll cool him, 'cause he's had to pay a housekeeper out of
his own allowance up to this. The old boy and I don't rub along
together very sweet, but he knows the size of a dollar every time."
'Tilda Jane choked back the suffocating lump in her throat, and
gravely rose to her feet. "Sir, I'm as much obleeged to you as—"
Here she broke down.
"As you ought to be," he finished. "Don't mention it. I'm happy to
make your acquaintance. So long," and he politely held out two
fingers.
A vague terror seized the little girl. He had arranged everything for
her, and yet she had never since her escape felt so paralysed with
fear. Her beseeching eyes sought Mrs. Minley's face. The landlady
was smiling graciously at her, but the little girl's heart sunk. Quite
unknown to herself, she was a sharp reader of character. She was
losing her best friend in the fat young man.
"Take me with you," she gasped, suddenly clinging to his hand.
"Can't do that, sissy. I'm going back into the settlements—bad
roads, scattered houses. You'd freeze stiff. Better stay here with Mrs.
Minley. I'll run up to Ciscasset by and by to see you."
'Tilda Jane drew back in sudden, steely composure. She was
ashamed of herself. "I'm crazy," she said, shortly; "you've done
enough for me now. I'll take care of your father if he gets mad fifty
times a day."
Already she felt a sense of responsibility. She drew herself up with
dignity, and in sad, composed silence watched the young man leave
the room and the house. When the last faint sound of his sleigh-bells

had died away, she gave up her listening attitude, and turned
patiently to Mrs. Minley, who was saying with a yawn, "I guess you'd
better go to bed."
'Tilda Jane walked obediently toward her room, and Mrs. Minley,
seating herself on a chair in cold curiosity, watched her undress.
When the little girl knelt down to say her prayers, a feeble smile
illuminated the woman's face. However, she was still listless and
uninterested, until the latter portion of the petition.
"O Lord," 'Tilda Jane was praying earnestly, almost passionately,
"forgive me for all this sin an' 'niquity. I just had to run away. I
couldn't give up that little dog that thou didst send me. I'll live
square as soon as I get takin' care o' that ole man. Bless the matron
an' make her forgive me, an' bless all the lady-boards—Mis' Grannis
'specially, 'cause she'll be maddest with me. Keep me from tellin' any
more lies. Amen."
When 'Tilda Jane rose from her knees, Mrs. Minley's breath was
coming and going quickly, and there was a curious light in her eyes.
"Mrs. Grannis, did you say?" she asked, shortly. "Mrs. Grannis, over
Beaver Dam way?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What has she got to do with the asylum?"
"She's the fust lady-board. She sits behind the table an' pounds
the hammer."
"And she'll be maddest with you?"
"Yes, ma'am. She says children has too much liberties."

"Hurry into bed," said Mrs. Minley, briefly, and taking up the lamp,
and without a word of farewell, she disappeared from the room.
'Tilda Jane cowered down between the cold sheets. Then she
stretched out a hand to touch the precious bundle on the chair by
her bed. And then she tried to go to sleep, but sleep would not
come.

CHAPTER IV.
UNSTABLE AS WATER.
A vague uneasiness possessed her. Ah, how happy would she be,
could she know that the young creamery man was sleeping under
the same roof! But he was speeding somewhere far away over the
snowy roads. However, she should see him again. He had said so,
and, with the hopefulness of youth, she sighed a happy sigh and,
closing her eyes tightly, listened to the various sounds about the
quiet house.
There must have been another arrival, for she heard doors
opening and shutting, and also the jingle of sleigh-bells. They were
strangely confused in her mind with the ringing of the rising-bell at
the orphan asylum, and she was just sinking into a dreamy
condition, a forerunner of sleep, when she heard a hard voice in her
ear.
"Get up an' dress, little girl."
She raised herself quietly from the pillow. There stood over her
the tall, gaunt woman whom she had heard Mrs. Minley address as
Ruth Ann. To her perturbed mind, there rose a vision of a graven
image from the Bible, as she stared at the woman's stony
countenance. She was standing shading a candle with her hand, and
her deep eyes were fixed in unmistakable compassion on the little
girl.

"Jump up," she repeated, "an' dress like sixty. You've got yourself
into a peck o' trouble."
'Tilda Jane had not a thought of questioning the wisdom of this
command. Something about the hard-faced woman inspired her with
confidence, and without a word she stepped out of bed, and began
rapidly putting on her clothes.
"I'll talk while you dress," said the woman, in a hard, intense
voice, and putting down the candle, "but, Lord, how can I say it all?"
There was a kind of desperation in her tone, although no trace of
emotion appeared on her face. 'Tilda Jane felt a strange kinship with
this reserved woman, and flashed her a sympathetic glance while
buttoning one of her stout and ugly garments.
Ruth Ann made a brief grimace. "Here I am," she said, with a
sudden burst of speech, "a middle-aged woman gettin' old. You're a
young one settin' out on life's journey. I'll never see you agin,
prob'bly. Let me give you a word—be honest, an' if you can't be
honest, be as honest as you can. You'll have no luck otherwise. You
may think you're havin' luck in bein' sly, but it's a kind o' luck that
turns to loss in the long run. There's that sister o' mine. She reminds
me o' Reuben in the Bible—'unstable as water thou shalt not excel.'
She's that deceitful that I should think she'd choke with it so she
couldn't breathe."
'Tilda Jane made no remark, but as she threw her dress over her
head her two black eyes scintillated wonderingly in the woman's
direction.

"Unstable," said Ruth Ann, bitterly. "I'd 'a' loved her if she'd been
honest, but it's always the same,—fair to the face, foul behind the
back. I've slaved for her an' waited on her, an' heard her praised for
work I've done, and seen young men oggle her, an' she oggle back,
an' I've never had an offer an' never will, an' sometimes I think I
hate her."
'Tilda Jane paused for an instant in her rapid dressing. This sisterly
repulsion was something unknown to her childish experience.
"Then when she gets sick from stuffin' herself, I'm feared, an'
think she's goin' to die, but she'll 'tend my funeral, an' cry an' look so
handsome that some ole Jack will pop the question on the way
home. Here, child, eat these while you dress," and she drew some
doughnuts from her pocket.
'Tilda Jane pushed them from her, with an involuntary movement
of dislike.
"You've turned agin me for turnin' agin my sister," said the
woman, bitterly. "Wait till you're treated as I am. An' let me tell you
what she's done to you. You made mention o' Mis' Grannis. Mis'
Grannis has got a mortgage on this house. Mis' Grannis lends her
money, Mis' Grannis is the god my sister bows down to. Do you think
she'd let you stand between her and Mis' Grannis? No—the minute
she heard you say Mis' Grannis would be pleased to git you back,
that minute she made up her mind to fool you and Hank Dillson that
she can't abide 'cause he ain't never asked her to stop bein' a
widow. So she made me help her hitch up, an' she's off on the wings
of the wind to tell her sweet Mis' Grannis to come an' git you; an'

just to fool her who is so cute at foolin' other folks, I made up my
mind to git you off. Now do you take it in?"
'Tilda Jane did take in this alarming bit of news, and for one
instant stood aghast. Then she resolutely fell to lacing on her shoes.
"You're gritty," said the woman, admiringly. "Now I'll tell you what
I've laid out. I'm goin' to guide you through the woods to the Moss
Glen Station. When we git mos' there, I'll skedaddle home an' to
bed, 'cause I don't want sister to find me out. Here's an extry pair o'
stockin's an' shoes to put on before you board the train. You'll git
yours full o' snow water. If all goes as I calc'late, you'll have time to
change 'em in the station. You don't want to git sick so you can't
stand up to that ole man. Here's a little tippet for your shoulders.
Dillson told sister to give you a shawl, but she'll not do it. An' he
paid her, too. Now come, let's start."
'Tilda Jane brushed her hand over her eyes, resolutely picked up
her dog, and followed her guide out to the kitchen.
Ruth Ann caught up a shawl, threw it over her head, and opened
the door. "My—it's black! I guess we'll have to take a lantern."
She turned back, fumbled in a corner of the kitchen, struck a light,
then rejoined 'Tilda Jane.
For some minutes they plodded on in silence. Then Ruth Ann said,
anxiously, "I don' know what I'll do if it don't snow. She'll track us
sure—me, big feet, an' you, smaller ones. Glory, it's snowin' now!"
A sudden wind had sprung up in the black, quiet night, and
whirled a few flakes of snow in their faces. Then the snow began to
fall from above, gently and quietly, flake by flake.

'Tilda Jane struggled along the heavy road in the wake of the tall
woman ahead. The small dog seemed to have grown larger, and lay
a heavy burden in her arms. Yet she uttered no word of complaint.
Her mind was in a whirl, and she gave no thought to physical
fatigue. What was she doing? Had she—a little girl—any right to give
so much trouble to grown people? Her actions were exactly in
opposition to every precept that had been instilled into her mind.
Children should be seen and not heard. Children should wait on
grown people. Children must not lie under any circumstances. They
must be obedient, truthful, honest, and uncomplaining. Perhaps she
ought to go back to the orphan asylum. She could stand punishment
herself—but her dog? They would make her give him up. Some boy
would get him. Boys were all mischievous at times. Could she
endure the thought of that little feeble frame subjected to torture?
She could not, and steeling her heart against the asylum, the
matron, and the lady managers, she walked on more quickly than
ever.
She would never forget that ghostly walk through the woods. The
narrow way wound always between high snow-laden sentinels of
trees. The sickly, slanting gleam of the lantern lighted only a few
steps ahead. Mystery and solemnity were all about her; the pure and
exquisite snow, on which they were putting their black-shod feet,
was to her the trailing robe of an angel who had gone before. The
large, flat snowflakes, showered on her erring head, were missives
from the skies, "Go back, little girl, go back."
"Lord, I can't go back," she repeated, stubbornly, "but I'll repent
some more, by and by. Please take away the sick feeling in the
middle of my stomach. I can't enjoy anythin'."

The sick feeling continued, and she gave Ruth Ann only a feeble
"yes," when she suddenly turned and threw the light of the lantern
on her with a brisk, "Don't you want to know what lie I'm goin' to
tell 'bout your leavin'?
"I'm not goin' to tell any lie," Ruth Ann continued, triumphantly. "If
you've got grace enough to hold your tongue, other folks'll do all
your lyin' for you. Sister'll come home, Mis' Grannis with her,
prob'bly. They'll go ravagin' in the spare room. They'll come ravagin'
out—'Ruth Ann, that young one's run off!' An' I'll be busy with my
pots an' pans, an' all I'll have to say is: 'Do tell!' or, 'Why, how you
talk!' An' sister'll rave an' tear, an' run round like a crazy thing, an'
look at Mis' Grannis out o' the corner of her eye."
Ruth Ann's shoulders shook with enjoyable laughter, but if she had
turned suddenly she would have seen a look of unmistakable disgust
flitting over the face behind her.
She did turn suddenly a few minutes later, but the look was gone.
"Here, give me that dog," she said, peremptorily.
The little girl protested, but the woman took him, and again they
plodded on in silence.
"Here we be," she said, after they had been walking for an hour
longer.
'Tilda Jane raised her head. The narrow road had abruptly
expanded into a circular clearing, and in the midst of the clearing
stood a small wooden building.
Ruth Ann walked up to it, handed 'Tilda Jane the dog and the
lantern, and put her hands on one of the diminutive windows.

It opened easily, and she ejaculated with satisfaction, "Just what I
thought. Come, crawl in here; the station agent's been here all the
evenin', an' the fire ain't quite out. You'll be as snug as a bug in a
rug. He'll be back at daylight agin, an' soon after your train'll come
along for Ciscasset. Don't you breathe a word to him 'bout me. Say
Mis' Minley brought you here, if he asks anythin'. Here's enough
money to buy your ticket. I ain't got much. Sister keeps me short,
an' she's took away with her what Hank Dillson give her for you.
Mind an' keep that card with his father's name pinned inside your
dress. Here's a lunch," and she produced a parcel from her pocket.
"Don't fret, sister can't git home much before breakfast, an' by that
time you'll be in Ciscasset, an' I guess they'll not follow you there.
She don't know the name o' the place, anyway. She didn't take no
'count when Hank mentioned it, an' when she asked me, you'd
better believe I forgot it, too."
'Tilda Jane scrambled through the window, and, upon arriving
inside, turned around and gravely shook hands with her guide. "I
guess I sha'n't forgit this."
"Don't you take no pains to remember it before sister," said the
woman, with a chuckle, "if you don't want me to live an' die in hot
water. Good luck to you. Shut the winder, an' put a stick on the fire,"
and she strode off through the snow.
'Tilda Jane shuddered. She was not a nervous child, yet the
knowledge that she was alone in a forest pressed and bore down
upon her. However, she was out of the increasing storm. She had got
her guilty feet off that angel's trailing robe, and the little letters from
heaven were not dashing in her face, nor was there any danger now

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