re with the taffy pulling.

She flew happily round making her preparations and it did not seem any
time until Prince gave a joyous bark to notify her of the near approach
of friends.

She ran to the door. Sure enough, it was Laura and Ivy making their
way through the rain; they were coming around the curve of the walk
which led from the front gate.

"And Laura's holding the umbrella over Ivy so that she herself gets
nothing but the drippings," Alene observed. She seized an umbrella
from the rack and hastened to meet them, while Prince ran on ahead to
assure them of a welcome.

The barking of the dog and the chatter of the girls made such a din
that it reached Mrs. Major, who came and stood in the hall, enjoying
the excitement.

After greeting the visitors she went upstairs, feeling a pleasant glow
in the consciousness that the little girl, whose loneliness had been a
source of anxiety to the older inmates of the house, was now
light-hearted and happy with companions of her own age.

"Girls, girls, I'm so glad you've come in spite of the rain!" cried the
beaming Alene, dancing round, more of a hindrance than an aid in her
endeavors to help them off with their things.

"Mother was against my going out in the rain, but Hugh knew how much I
wanted to come, and just as he was coaxing her, Laura came in, and they
hustled me off!"

"It's well I did, or the Bonners would have had a weeping Ivy on their
hands, and dear knows it's moist enough without that, so I carried her
away just for pity!" explained Laura, who stood before the rack mirror
surveying a few locks of straight hair which stuck to her forehead. "I
was just telling Ivy it's good there's no lightning; but the rain does
take the starch out of things. Just look at my poor hair, while Ivy's
curls are kinkier than ever!"

"Poor Lol, I'd gladly turn some of the kinks over to you if I could,"
cried Ivy with a laugh, as she gave her mop of curls a vigorous
smoothing, trying in vain to make them lie closer to her head. "But
talking of lightning, when I was quite small I remember one day in
school it stormed hard. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed
and one of the girls got frightened and began to cry, which surprised
me very much; not because she cried, but because she was a doctor's
daughter--I don't know why I thought a doctor's daughter should be
braver than anyone else's child!"

"It's funny the thoughts we have and the queer things we believ