pay you for your trouble."

"Hear! Hear!"

"The best this year!"

"Do it again!"

"I wonder if any of you noticed that our invitation did not say to
whom we were giving this debut party? We left that out on purpose,
because we were afraid it might scare off the person whom we are
delighted to honor. Up to this moment the dear child whose debut party
this is has been entirely ignorant that it is hers."

Judith, who had been standing by her old friend, utterly unconscious
of self, wholly absorbed in his speech, now looked at him with an
expression of startled amazement. She gave a little gasp and blushed
violently.

"Friends of Ryeville and our county, we, the old men of the
neighborhood, wish to tell you that this debut ball is in honor of our
fairy godchild, Miss Judith Buck."

A ripple of applause ran around the room.

"We know that we are not doing the conventional thing in the
conventional way," the Judge continued, "but we wanted to do something
different for a girl who is different. Only a few days ago we were
sitting, talking, discussing matters and things, when the thought came
to us that we should like to do something for a girl who has never
been too busy to stop and have a pleasant word with us old men. It was
my friend, Pete Barnes, who thought of this way."

"Yes, my idee, my idee!" cried Pete.

"I am sure a great many of you already know our young friend. You have
seen her grow from childhood to young womanhood--watched her trudging
in to school in all weathers, determined to get an education at any
cost--noted her record at school, always at the top or near the top.
Perhaps others in Ryeville besides the old men have been cheered by
her happy face and ready wit and sympathy."

"Hear! Hear!"

"And now we old men wish to present formally to society Miss Judith
Buck. If you have any criticism to make of our method, please blame us
and not our guest of honor. This is a surprise party for her."

"Well, I call that right down pretty," said Big Josh to his Cousin
Bob. "I have been wanting all evening to get in a word with some of
the crowd concerning this young lady, but it looks like it's hard to
get away from the women folk long enough to talk sense."

"I believe I know what you mean," said Mr. Bucknor uneasily. "It won't
do, Josh, it won't do."

"The dickens it won't do, if we decide to claim her!"

"But the ladies, Josh, the ladies! I fancy Cousin Ann has told you
what she told me. The t