Laughing Last

e the gracious proportions of this hall" and "Joseph Romley

sudden instinct to protect I

ith her gifted father and we feel that she is growing to be very like him. This-" smiling affectionately at Sidney and allowing a suggestion of apology to creep into her tone, "This is just our little Sidney, the poet's baby-girl. Sidney, lamb, this is Miss Byers of Grace Hall, a boarding sch

ups. As poor Isolde is not here I will tell them some of the precious and personal anecdotes of the great po

stairs, some even spilled over into the dining room. They paid not the slightest attention to anything about them. Assured that Miss Byers w

ullest measure the delight of such close propinquity to real boarding-school girls. Their talk, broken by smothered shrieks of laughter, rang like sweetest music t

oned eight more to enter. There was a general stirring, then the chatter swelled

ay-I beg your pardon. I thought you were one of the girls. And you're-you're-the poet's daughter

he had ever seen. She did not mind her pity. The stranger had taken her fo

e. Isn't it fun, thoug

have to visit. We get autographs and listen to speeches and make notes about graves and look at pictures. Most of the girls get a kick o

vable. And the girl couldn't be any older than she was. She w

tramp all over your house and stare at you and say

his stranger put her finger

on't!" v

have to act like a poet's daughter, don't

loathe

ty Sweets. Don't you know them? They're sold all over the world. We have an immense factory. And there isn't any other kind of candy that I

tiffened her slender little body to control its trembling. She tried t

elf on the girls of Grace being so well-informed. I know. I'll put you into it. That'll be fun. Only you'll have to tell me

ner and found her tongue in an in

g school, only all the girls go home nights. And

was different. If you don't mind in my theme I'll make you diffe

and I'll admit most of the girls do treat me a little bit differently-but that's Miss Downs' fault; she won't let them forget tha

on't you come to Grace Hall

she gives me my tuition on account of Dad-" Sidney bit off her words in a sudden panic lest her admission

you can't go to Grace. I like the riding best. I have my own horse. Gypsy. She's a darling. My roommate is the cutest thing. She's captain of the hockey team and her picture was

Sidney back into her corner. "Say, Byers will be here at least a half an h

tell anyone that I don't like Betty Sweets best of all the candy in the world, will you?" she laughed. "And I won't tell

t as the last eight came out of the study and Miss Byers was lingering for a few words with Mrs. Milliken, Sidney saw two flying figures join the others

by her fib of the headache, wished with all her soul that she would go and straine

League kept very carefully. "Here are some well-known names. Jenkins-probably that's the iron family. Scott-I wonder if that's t

she asked, hopefully. Mrs. Milli

e girls were very careless-

't have registered-sh

ut the register in its place and reg

e and plan something suitable for you. Perhaps we have been forgetting that our dear little girl is growing out

t and she soaked it in gasoline,

the dear girls. Give my love to Isolde and tell her to rest. I do not think anyone else wi

slowly shut the door. Out there, beyond the hedge, went Pola and the other laughin

even had spunk enough to speak up and tell interfering Mrs. Milliken that Trude and the rest of them would soak

lde had said they could not es

sters had witnessed the invasion of

isgusting!" had b

dney. "You were cruel, Issy,

d her attention from the

have to put up. Then perhaps she will not

ich made her blue eyes paler by contrast; her hair had been cut after an attack of scarlet fever and had grown in so slowly that she wore it shingle-bobbed which added to the suggestion of boyishness about her; there was an ungirlish sturdiness and squareness to her build-one instinctively looked to her shoulders

, Sid doesn't have to put up with what we did-" Trude stopped suddenly. It seemed dreadful to say: "Dad isn't writing any poems now." She felt the pang of loss in her tender heart that always came when she thought of her father, with his bursts of impatience and his twitching nose and his long hours in the study with the door closed, and then his great

ot isn't so tragic that Sid can't share it. She has nice friends

d of our best friends and want a ch

d her enough-she doe

dled up here, now, because the Saturdays belong to the League. Issy, you and I can go on because we got broken in to it years ago. Vick won't, of course-" (flashin

shoulders were very expressive and had a way of communicating her t

s that we simply can't afford to give her? You ought to know

Sid dreamed dreams it would be as it had been with her. Isolde was quite right-it might be no kindness to the child to let her want things-like

ke into

ve fits like she had this morning it'll be pleasant having her round with nothing to do. Of cour

g that I spend the summer with them in their cottage on Lake Michigan. I can more than pay my board by helping Professor D

ky. "A crabby professor and an over

es are adorable and Mrs. Deering wrote that the bungalow is right on th

f the plan? I had better postpone going to New York

ll write to Mrs. Deering and tell her I cannot come. You didn't go to New York at

s to go away and leave Sid with

ldah and she h

e the Egg to sp

ness. And the League bri

vely silly about Sid.

l her the three of us are going away to have a go

ney really owes more to the League than the rest of us do for we could take care of ourselves. I think w

at the window. "What luck to be free so earl

ely down the long hall toward the attic stairs. Her quick "Well, kid, how did