people do in her Aunt Margaret's household. No one ran
around futilely, doing nothing; no one had hysterics; no one even
cried.

Mother Jess's face went very white when Father Bob came back from the
telephone and said, "Sidney isn't so well."

"Have they sent for us?"

He nodded. "You'd better take the sleeper. The eighty-thirty from
Upton will make it."

"Can you--?"

"Not with things the way they are here."

Then they all scattered, to do the things that had to be done. Elliott
was helping Laura pack the suit-case when she had her idea. It really
was a wonderful idea for a girl who had never in her life put herself
out for any one else. Like a flash the first part of it came to her,
without thought of a sequel; and the words were out of her mouth
almost before she was aware she had thought them.

"You ought to go, Laura!" she cried. "Sidney is your twin."

"I'd like to go." Something in the guarded tone, something deep and
intense and controlled, struck Elliott to consternation. If Laura felt
that way about it!

"Why don't you, Laura? Can't you possibly?"

The other shook her head. "Mother is the one to go. If we both went,
who would keep house here?"

For a fraction of a second Elliott hesitated. "_I_ would."

The words once spoken, fairly swept her out of herself. All her little
prudences and selfishnesses and self-distrusts went overboard
together. Her cheeks flamed. She dropped the brush and comb she was
packing and dashed out of the room.

A group of people stood in the kitchen. Without stopping to think,
Elliott ran up to them.

"Can't Laura go?" she cried eagerly. "It will be so much more
comfortable to be two than one. And she is Sidney's twin. I don't know
a great deal, but people will help me, and I got dinner this noon. Oh,
she must go! Don't you see that she must go?"

Father Bob looked at the girl for a minute in silence. Then he spoke:
"Well, I guess you're right. I will look after the chickens."

"I'll mix their feed," said Gertrude; "I know just how Laura does
it--and I'll do the dishes."

"I'll get breakfasts," said Bruce.

"I'll make the butter," said Tom. "I've watched Mother times enough.
And helped her, too."

"I'll see to Prince and the kitty," chimed in Priscilla, "and do, oh,
lots of things!"

"I'll be responsible for the milk," said Henry.

"I'll keep house," said Elliott, "if you leave me anything to do."

"And I'll help you," said Harriet Gordon.

It was reall