t a glance
showed that it was marked in pencil, "For Laura," in Alene's
handwriting.

"For me, and she didn't buy a single thing for herself," grumbled
Laura, untying the cord. "Isn't it just too sweet!" She held up a
dish of pale pink glass with a knot of blue forget-me-nots in the
corner.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Ivy. "I was just going to say that
somebody else forgot to buy a single thing for herself, but I see Alene
didn't forget her!"

"That little sly piece, and I never noticed her at it!" Laura said,
secretly hoping that a certain quaint amber-colored bowl which she had
deftly tucked away among Alene's purchases would prove as pleasant a
surprise to Alene.

Hugh, coming in to supper just before Laura went home, peeped into the
room in time to hear Ivy's laughing remark,

"We should confer upon Sir Mark the title of 'Rescuer-in-Chief to the
Happy-Go-Luckys!'"

Hugh, with a hasty nod to the girls, turned away.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Hugh! I've just been telling Ivy how
thrilling it was, when just in our moment of despair, Mark Griffin
appeared--"

"Like the hero on a stage," interrupted Hugh.

"No, in a skiff," corrected Laura.

"I've no time for rhapsodies now," said Hugh curtly. He turned away
with Ivy's voice, "Hear! Hear!" ringing mockingly on the air.

* * * * * *

Through the open window came the sound of children's voices,

"Here comes an old woman from New Foundland.
With all of her children in her hand,"

shrill and clamoring, but powerless to disturb Ivy who, seated beside
the window with her blue goblet beside her and a pad of writing paper
on her lap, was busy writing.

After a series of brow puckerings and erasures, she gave a sigh of
contentment.

"There it's finished! I'll read it over and put it in the Sunset Book
to-morrow!"

The old woman from New Foundland had gone home to bed, and Claude, one
of her shrill-voiced children, had rushed in sleepily and thrown
himself upon the rug, where he lay oblivious to all things, when the
absent-minded Ivy came out of her trance; the first thing she saw was
his chubby, outstretched form with both arms flung above the touzled
head from which his cap had partly fallen.

The smile of sisterly love and pride with which she enveloped him, must
have pierced the vale of unconsciousness, for the lad stirred and
smiled in his sleep.

Ivy took the goblet and poured the pebbles into her lap.