y feeble! Dawson is a great-hearted
fellow. In his quiet way he does more good than many of our famed
philanthropists," said the usually silent Mr. Ramsey.

"Philanthropy, indeed! Were I Alene's mother I wouldn't like it at
all, throwing his money away. If he doesn't marry, it will all go to
Alene!"

"She will have plenty in any case; her father is very well fixed!"
commented Mr. Ramsey.

"Is Alene an heiress?" cried Vera. "How funny! No one would ever
guess it from her manner!"

"It's well you are not; you would want an air-ship in order to live up
in the clouds above the heads of ordinary people! Alene has brains!"
returned Hermione.

"An unspoiled child, I should judge," said her father.

CHAPTER XVI

LAURA'S PROPOSITION

"There's a club or something of that kind. I think it's a branch of
the Sunshine Society," said Laura, as they sat under the trees on the
terrace one bright afternoon, "that keeps a record of the birthdays of
certain members who are sick or shut away from active life, and
everybody is invited to a sort of surprise party, as it were; letters,
books, or mementos of any kind are sent to reach the person on a
certain date; it's a red-white-and-blue letter date for her, I guess--"

"Not blue," interrupted Ivy, "I'd call it a red letter day!"

"Well--" said Alene when Laura paused as if to ponder over something
suggested by her words.

"Well," she returned, coming back to the present, to find her two
friends waiting interestedly. "Well, it strikes me as a good idea for
adoption by the Happy-Go-Luckys. It wouldn't be original with us, but
if we wait to do only things which have never been done before, we may
remain idle forever and ever, for there's nothing original under the
sun."

"Except original sin," suggested Ivy.

Laura gave her a withering glance that included Alene who always found
Ivy's sallies amusing. Perhaps Alene's smile on this occasion caused
Ivy to continue:

"Yes, Lol, I've found that's true, especially when one's writing. If
you put down something you think is decidedly fine or smart, you're
sure to find that the Bible or Shakespeare or the Daily Observer in
to-day's paper has said it all so much better! But excuse me, I'm
interrupting you!"

Laura was too full of her subject to give more than a stiff little
contraction of the lips to Ivy's digression; she went on to say:--

"Well, what made me think so much of the birthday idea was what Mother
s