"Won't you come over
Thursday night? I'm going to take the Haneys to dinner at the hotel."
She flushed under Lee's gaze. "It's really Bennie's party, and I'm going
to make it as pretty as I can."

"Alice, I don't understand you. Why do you do this?"

"Because I must. She and the Captain are going East on a visit, and Ben
wants to give them a 'jolly send-off,' as he calls it. Besides, I like
the girl."

Lee mused in silence for a few moments. "I guess you're right. Of course
I'll come. Who else will?"

"Several of Ben's new friends and the Cregos--"

"Not the missus?"

"Yes; she comes because she's consumed with curiosity. Oh, it really
promises to be smart!"

Congdon came in just in time to hear these words, "Who promises to be
smart--Mrs. Haney?"

The women laughed. "Another person going about with a mind full of Mrs.
Haney."

"Well, why not? I just passed her on the street in her new dog-cart, and
she was ripping good to look at. Say, that girl is too swift for this
town. You people better keep close to her if you want to know what's
doing in gowns and cloaks. Did you ever see such development in your
life? Say, girls, I always believed in clothes. But, my eyes! I didn't
think cotton and wool and leather could make such a change. Who is
putting her on?"

"The cart is a new development," said Alice. "I hope it wasn't yellow?"

"Well, it was."

"The Captain was in it?"

"Not on your life. The Captain was at home in the easy-chair by the
fire."

The women looked at each other. Then Lee said: "The beginning of the
end. Poor old Captain."

Congdon was loyalty itself. "Now don't you jump at conclusions. Yes, she
pulled up, and I went out to see her. She gave me her hand in the old
way, and said; 'Isn't this a joke. The Captain ordered it from Chicago.
He saw a picture in one of my magazines of a girl driving one of these
things, and here I am. You don't think they'll charge me a special
license, do you?' Oh, she's all right. Don't you worry about her. Then
she said: 'What I don't like about it is the Captain can't ride in it.
I'm not going to keep it,' she said."

"That was for effect," remarked Lee.

"Don't be nasty, Mrs. Congdon. You can't look into her big serious eyes
and say such things."

Lee looked at Alice. "Oh, well, if it comes down to 'big serious eyes,'
then all criticism is valueless. Aren't men curious? Character is
nothing, intellect is nothing--it's all a question of whether we're