last Roxana suggested an exchange. By that time I didn't
care for anything; all my pleasure in the gift was spoiled.

"'I'll not give Clementina anything,' I said.

"'Don't be unreasonable, child, the black garters will be so useful,'
chided my mother.

"'But Clementina admired these!'

"'She never dreamed of owning them, though,' said Roxana.

"'Yes, she did!'

"Well, it resulted in Roxana's carrying off my foolish purchase and
coming back with her sensible one.

"I can smile at it now, but at the time it was a real tragedy to me.
Mother never suspected my disappointment. We were all so used to
accepting Roxana's opinions as laws that to rebel against them would
lay oneself open to the charge of treason.

"Well, the next day I went to Clementina's. She came running down to
the front gate to meet me.

"'Happy birthday,' I faltered, thrusting the little package into her
hands.

"'Why, Edna,' she said, but I hurried away, not daring to wait to see
her open it.

"That was apparently the end of our friendship.

"When we met again, Clementina treated me very coolly; I was terribly
cut up but I did not blame her. I knew it would have been better taste
not to have given her anything, but it was too late then.

"For several days we kept apart.

"I avoided Smithley's window, but one day I stopped before it almost in
spite of myself. There hung the pink garters, with their shining
buckles. They seemed to mock my chagrin. Then all at once Clementina
stood at my side. She held out her hand!

"'Forgive me, Edna, I might have known it was Roxana!'

"My lip trembled.

"'Carrie Smithley told me just now. You see, she was in the store when
you bought the pink garters and when Roxana returned them she told Mr.
Smithley what a foolish thing you had bought; she said you were too
stubborn to come back yourself and she had to do it. She always had to
do the things the rest of the family shirked!'

"I had to smile at Clem's mimicking Roxana, it was so true to life.

"Poor Clem! She said she never expected me to give her anything, but
when she opened the parcel and saw the black garters, she rushed into
the darkened parlor and cried and cried, on the sofa behind the door!
Not because of the garters, but because she expected different
treatment from me--'It just seemed like a slap in the face,' she said."

"I guess it did," murmured Ivy. "Is that the end?"

"There's a kind of a sequel," said Mrs. Lee with