g:

"We're going to miss you dreadfully, Miss Bonham. I always do miss
Allison's guests and Kitty's nearly as much as my own. They're so dear
about sharing them with me. Now some girls are so stingy, they fairly
keep their visitors under lock and key--that is, if they are men. They
wouldn't dream of taking them to call on another girl. Afraid to, I
suppose. Afraid of losing their own laurels. There's one of the kind."

Betty saw her nod with a meaning smile toward Lloyd, and caught another
sentence or two in which the words, "Queen of Hearts, tied to her
apron-string," gave her the drift of the remarks.

"She's plainly trying to give Miss Bonham an unpleasant impression of
Lloyd to carry away with her," thought Betty. "She's hurt because she
wasn't invited to the coon hunt, and the other little affairs we had for
the bridal party. She never took it into consideration that what would
have been perfectly convenient at another time was out of the question
when the house was so full of guests and all torn up with preparations
for the wedding. Lloyd had all she could do then to think of the guests
in the house, without considering those outside. It certainly is a
flimsy sort of a friendship that can't overlook a seeming neglect like
that or make due allowances. Besides, if she feels slighted, why doesn't
she keep it to herself, and not try to get even by giving Miss Bonham a
false impression of her? Rob is right. Boys don't stoop to such mean
little things. In the first place they don't magnify trifles into big
grievances, and go around feeling slighted and hurt over nothing."

"Here comes the train!" called Ranald, seizing Miss Bonham's suit-case
and leading the way to the door. There was a moment of hurried
good-byes, a fluttering of handkerchiefs, a waving of hats. Then the
train passed on, leaving the group gazing after it.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Rob. "Will you all come over to the
store and have some peanuts?"

"No, you're all coming up home with me," said Lloyd, "Miss Allison and
everybody. I saw Alec carrying some watahmelons into the ice-house, and
they'll be good and cold by this time. We'll cut them out on the lawn."

Ranald excused himself, saying he had promised to take his Aunt Allison
to the dressmaker's in the pony-cart, but Allison and Kitty promptly
accepted the invitation for themselves and the two lieutenants. Katie
Mallard walked on with one and Joyce the other, Rob and Betty bringing