ttle maid, I will be all right in a week or two."

"A week!" groaned Cricket. "I thought you were going to say to-morrow."

Auntie Jean had slipped off grandma's stocking, and was bathing her
rapidly swelling foot with arnica. In a few minutes, Will, and Archie,
and Luke appeared, bringing a piazza-chair, and two stout poles. Auntie
Jean bandaged the foot temporarily, and then Luke and Will helped
grandma up in the chair. They slipped the poles lengthwise under the
chair, and Luke stood ready to lift the front ends as Will and Archie
took the rear ones.

"Wait a moment," said Aunt Jean, as the procession was ready to start.
"Can't I fix a support for your foot, mother? It will hurt it dreadfully
to hang it down."

"Put a stick across the poles, and the cushion on it," suggested
Cricket, quickly, "and lay her foot on that." She picked up a stout
stick, and laid it in place, while Archie put the cushion on it, and
adjusted grandma's foot on it.

"That's a capital suggestion," said grandma, approvingly. "That feels
very comfortable. Are you sure you can lift me, boys?"

"Could carry a ton this way, Mrs. Maxwell," said Luke. "All ready, boys.
Hist all together, now." And as they all "histed" the procession moved.
Auntie Jean and Cricket walked on either side, keeping the cushion and
stick in place. So grandma finally arrived, was helped up the piazza
steps, and into her own room, which was, fortunately, on the first
floor.

CHAPTER XIV.

PLAYING NURSE.

Poor Cricket went around with a face as long as her arm, all the rest of
the day, dreadfully cast down by this unfortunate result of her
wrestling lessons. For a while, she was almost ready to vow that she
would never do anything again that the boys did, but when she thought of
all the lovely things this would cut her off from, she couldn't make up
her mind to go that length.

[Illustration: "SHE BURIED HERSELF IN THE STORY FOR 'THE ECHO'"]

Auntie Jean soon assured her that the sprain was not at all serious, and
that the inflammation seemed to be going down already, but her heart was
very heavy. She would not go sailing with the boys, nor sit under the
rocks with the girls, and at last she buried herself in her next story
for the _Echo_. A very tragic and mournful tale it was, of a naughty
little girl, who was left in charge of her small brother, but who ran
away, all by herself, up garret, to play, and when she went back she
found her poor little baby