Laughing Last

h the resolution to escape at the earliest moment possible from he

, fifteen is certain to rise up strong-hearted, despite all accumulated woe. Forgetting her bitter disappointme

of sand rose steeply to an azure blue sky. But Aunt Achsa's riotous flowers were smiling their brightest, at the opening of

house and walked slowly along the clam-shell path that skirted the bit of garden. He was evidently deep in though

ng, little

e was nicer looking in the garden than he had seemed in Cousin Achsa's kitchen

? And that smell-well, it may be the good Atlantic, or Lav's basket of fish, which is not likely. My best bet is that it's breakfast over at the Calkins'. I have

om the bowl over her face and scarcely disturbing the two braids of hair. In a few moments she joined the "boarder" in the garden, r

had encouraged her to invite the girl; to further humor her he himself had written the letter that he knew must have given Sidney's family a wrong impression of conditions at Aunt Achsa's. Its very tone

frightened to eat or to answer by more than a monosyllable Aunt Achsa's eager questions; poor Aunt Achsa, in an agony of shyness and concern had fluttered over them all. It had been a relief wh

e his own so quickly did he rise in their defense. "Well, they are my own!" he muttered. If this Sidney had been like the other fifteen-year-old girls who had crossed his path he would not have bothered, for they could not have been taught by any process to recognize the gold from the dross; but she seeme

traveled, joined him, no trace of last night's woe on her face. With Nip and Tuck following they tramped through the sand between the hollyhocks. Where the lane turne

urple. The fishing boats are starting out for the grounds. They've been waiting for the tide. That large schooner's headed for the

how much I want to, I've never been in anything b

can use-whenever he wants one.

remembered Captain Phin Davies had mentioned, but another thought seized her, crowding out all others. From this b

.-

't you treat me like

ew anything about Cousin Achsa and the Greens except what we found in a book in our attic-a sort of family tree book. But I wanted to go so

ced the length of

ou mean?"

. It looked as though the person who wrote it was

otioned to an

o her spelling. I did not think at the time that I possibly might be giving you-your family-a wrong impression. Aunt Achsa was so happy at finding a relative, so touched that you knew something of her, that I only thought of fur

the other girls have, and I thought it was my turn to use the-the Egg, we call it. I wanted adventure. But I thi

that mostly in old, forgotten, out-of-the-way places-like on Cape Cod. I think here it's more solid than the most, though it's fast dying; some day it'll be a thing only of romance. But the real Cape Coders are descended from pioneer men who followed the sea for an honest living, who put bravery and justice and charity and how to live humanly with their fellows above money. Most of 'em have been crowded out by a different kind of a commerce than they knew how to deal with; that's Lavender's father's story; others, the young ones, have scatter

Sidney. "It's just like the things

her to see if she were making fun of him

a great deal o

that letter-for your coming here. I want to tell you-about Lavender. You could not hav

. But then I didn't know ther

er of the garden where the soil is poor and the wind harsh and where there isn't much sun; see, it's only half-size and the stem is crooked. But look into the heart of it-it's as beautiful as its fellows.

he sporting chance. Of course Vick would poke no end of fun at me if she knew how different everything is. But-" with s

s the A

schooner that's no

at's a r

ed off-you might say; she's enjoying a peaceful old age

s to Lavender?"

de on the fishing schooners until they'd clear the Point. So I bought the Arabella for him. Her owner was going to chop her up for

But even that's fun. Wi

take you to the Caribbean Sea on his n

r I know lots of different places-th

he had assiduously avoided. "Some kid," he commented, inwardly. Aloud he ventured: "Will it be too inquisitive if I

h year from a book my father wrote-Goosefeathers. He was always ashamed of it. So we-my sisters, you see, take

e any-well, objection, to being kno

poet. But-but I wanted to be my own self; that was to be part of my adventure. You see its awfully stupid always having to rememb

h again. "Did you say you were-only fifteen? And just how do poets' daughters have to act, anyway? I've only known-one. Well, I'll keep your secret. Only you'll let me talk about it with you once in a while, won't

we can go out on t