to be at the house when the note came. I thought it
best to be there accidentally, in case there should be argument and
talk, and the Man of the House should still think Woman's Place was in
the Home, and sure enough there was. Mrs. Stafford read the note, and
her face got as white as death, and after a minute she said it would be
heaven to go, but of course she couldn't. And the noble creature who
is her husband said it was very presumptuous in whoever had invited her
to be the guest of the hospital, and that he wasn't in the habit of
having his wife visit such places on the invitation of unknown
interferers, and of course she couldn't go. And just as he said that
Mrs. Stafford keeled over in a dead faint right at his feet, as if
something had given out at the thought of rest. I knew that was my
chance, and I took it.

"Stop that automobile!" I waved to a man who was coming down the
street, and as he stopped I knelt and did the things Billy had made me
learn how to do the first year we went to camp. And seeing the poor,
tired soul had just fainted, and would come to in a minute, I spoke
quick to the man looking down at her, scared to death, as were the
children, who began to cry, and told him he wouldn't have a wife much
longer to be interfered with if he didn't come down from that horse he
thought he was riding and have some common sense.

"Don't you see she is worn out," I said, "and got nothing to go on
with? Everything has given out, and the next time she drops over in
this way she may never get up again." I was putting some water on her
face as I spoke, and, seeing her eyes begin to open a little, I called
to Mr. Everett, who had gotten out of his car and was on the porch, to
help Mr. Stafford put his wife in and take her to the hospital, and the
frightened husband for once did as he was told. I hopped in with her
and held her up and told Mr. Everett to drive like old Scratch, and he
drove. It was all over so quickly nobody knew what had happened.

It was like somebody being kidnapped and dragged off by highwaymen,
taking her away so hurriedly, but if it hadn't been done that way there
would have been endless talk and a thousand reasons why she couldn't
go; and if she hadn't she would have soon gone for good. Sometimes
somebody has to be high-handed, and even if that billy-goat of a
husband pretends to resent what I did his wife isn't resenting it, and
she is the one that counts. I always agree wit