"Ruthie did," said Agnes.

"Good for her! Tell her 'Thanks'!"

As he went through the front hall Aunt Sarah put her head over the
balustrade and asked:

"Did you get them pants, boy?"

She never by any possibility called Neale by his right name, and her
voice now was just as sharp as ever.

"Yes, ma'am--thank you," Neale said politely.

In the kitchen Mrs. MacCall said, with a smile: "The pants all right,
Neale?"

"Sure they are," he declared, as he went out. Then he thought: "Dear me!
seems as though everybody has a lot of interest in my new clothes."

In the morning, early, when he put the suit on to display it to the old
cobbler with whom Neale lived, the boy experienced a sudden and
surprising interest in the trousers himself.

The Corner House girls were at breakfast when, with a great clatter,
Neale rushed in at the back door, through the kitchen, and into the
dining room. He had on his new jacket and vest, but around his waist was
tied a voluminous kitchen apron that Mr. Con Murphy wore when he
cooked, which covered Neale to his insteps.

"Dear me! what is the matter, Neale?" asked Ruth, with some vexation.

"Matter? Matter enough!" cried the white-haired boy, very red in the
face. "_Look what you did to my pants!_"

He lifted the apron and displayed a wealth of blue yarn sock above his
shoe-tops, and hose supporters as well.

"For the good Land o' Goshen!" ejaculated Aunt Sarah.

"I _never_--in all my life!" cried Mrs. MacCall.

"Ma soul an' body!" chuckled Uncle Rufus from the background. "Somebody
done sawed off dat boy's pants too short, for suah!"

"Dear suz!" added the housekeeper. "I'm sure I never did _that_."

"You can't tell me 'twas _me_ done it," snapped Aunt Sarah.

"Oh, Neale!" wailed Ruth. "I didn't cut off but two inches."

"_You_, Niece Ruth?" exclaimed Aunt Sarah.

"That's what _I_ done."

"Oh, oh!" sharply cried Mrs. MacCall. "I cut 'em off, too!"

Uncle Rufus almost dropped the dish of ham and eggs he was serving.
Agnes shouted:

"Oh, my heart alive! _Six inches off the bottom of those trousers!_ You
have gone back into short pants, Neale O'Neil, that's sure!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE FIRST REHEARSAL

So Neale O'Neil did not parade his new grey suit to church on that
particular Sunday. Before the next came around Ruth had purchased
another pair of trousers that fitted the white-haired boy, and the much
cut-down pair was saved for patches.

Something quit