ys his favorite relative, and
he particularly liked him on account of his military honors."

"Well, he ought to, of course," put in Tavia, "for your father keeps
the name Dale up for military honors. But what in the world are you
going to do with all the money? Don't, for goodness' sake, go away for
your health, and other things, and leave poor me to die here without
nobody nor nuthin'," and the girl burst into make-believe tears.

"Indeed," said Dorothy. "We can enjoy the good fortune in no place
better than in dear old Dalton, and among our own good friends," and
she put her arms affectionately about Tavia. "But one thing has been
definitely decided upon--"

"You are going to buy the Harvy mansion?"

"No, a new hat. Father has just this minute given his consent."

"Make it a tiara and save the expense of hat-pins," suggested Tavia.

"No, I have a hankering for a Gainsborough, the kind the lady hanging
over Aunt Winnie's stairs wears--the picture queen, you know."

"Oh, yes, she looks very nice in a picture over the stairs," remarked
Tavia, "but my advice to you would be to wear elastic under your chin
with a thing like that--or else try Gulliver's Glue. One breeze of the
Dalton kind would be enough for a Gainsborough."

"You shall help me pick it out," agreed Dorothy. "In the meantime
don't sit on the only one I have. I just left it on the sofa as you
came in--"

"And if it isn't the dearest, sweetest thing now," exclaimed Tavia,
rescuing the mass of perishables she had unwittingly pressed into
something like a funeral piece.

"Oh!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I did like that hat!"

"And so did I!" declared Tavia. "That hat was a stunner, and I deeply
regret it's untimely taking away--it went to pieces without a groan.
That comes of having a real Leghorn. I could sit all over my poor
straw pancake and it would not as much as bend--couldn't. It would
have no place to bend to."

"You could never wear anything that would become you more than a simple
sailor," said Dorothy, with the air of one in authority, "and if I had
your short locks I would just sport a jaunty little felt sailor all
summer. But with my head--"

"Jaunty doesn't go. I quite agree with you, picture lady, your head is
cut out for picture hats. Another positive evidence of money running
in your family--my head was cut out for an economical pattern--lucky
thing for me!" and Tavia clapped her aforesaid sailor on her bronze
head at a d