the beautifully paneled
door and Richard performed the introductions. Mrs. Carson was voluble
in her thanks and suggested that the "young ladies" might like to go
through the buildings.

"If you'll come, too," whispered Rosemary to Richard, pressing closer
to him.

Mrs. Carson was a rather handsome woman and there was efficiency and
competency in every crisp fold of her immaculate gingham dress and
every neat coil of her iron-gray hair. No doubt the Board of
Freeholders was to be congratulated on its choice of a matron for the
poor farm--but it was awe she inspired in the minds of the three girls
before her. Not for worlds would they have left the safe companionship
of sunny, kind-hearted Richard and gone on a tour alone with this
formidable personage.

"Where are the people who live here?" whispered Sarah, when they had
been led through spotless corridors, glistening with varnish and
covered with bright linoleum, into orderly rooms stiffly furnished and
showing no signs of use and out again on to the porch tiled in red and
supported with white columns.

It was a question Rosemary had been debating, too.

"Oh, they're out back--there's a porch there they can use," said Mrs.
Carson carelessly. "Some of 'em spend the time in their
dormitories--just puttering around. The old ones are so messy I can't
have them out here or it would never be clean; and the young ones work
in the kitchen, mornings. Now if you'll come upstairs, I'll show you
the bathrooms your brother had installed for us."

Richard had explained that they were Doctor Hugh's sisters and Mrs.
Carson was determined to show them every courtesy. They saw the large
kitchen at last, with three young girls, in blue dresses made exactly
alike, scraping carrots, and four old women peeling potatoes, and then
went out to the back lawn where half a dozen old people dozed in the
glare of the hot sun.

"You needn't bother to speak to them," said Mrs. Carson. "Most of them
are deaf."

But Rosemary, catching several indignant glances darted at the speaker,
doubted this.

"I hope you'll come over again," Mrs. Carson said, walking with them to
the wagon after they had, as she expressed it, "seen everything."

"Tell Mr. Hildreth he'll be a popular man tonight when we have those
tomatoes for supper," she added. "The old folks would rather have
something they like to eat than any other kind of gift; and our
tomatoes are late this year."

Yes, she meant to