e coming
dance, and for the time being their self-imposed problem of the
newspaper girl was forgotten.

CHAPTER XVI

ELFREDA SHOWS GRACE THE WAY

Mabel's dance was an occasion long to be discussed and remembered, and
the remaining two days of the girls' Thanksgiving vacation were so
crowded with the amusements she had planned for them that the moments
flitted by on wings. Their visit to the offices of the great newspaper
on whose staff both Mabel Ashe and Kathleen West were enrolled was a
red-letter event. They had penetrated even to the fastnesses of the
local room and art department, and were duly impressed with all they
saw.

In the local room they had caught a brief glimpse of Kathleen West. She
was seated at a desk at the lower end of the long room, writing
industriously. So intent was she upon her work, that, either by accident
or design, she failed to see the little group of sight-seers, who stood
watching the rows of clicking typewriters, operated by the reporters of
the various departments who were preparing copy for the composing room.

At the moment Grace had spied the newspaper girl hard at work a wave of
admiration had swept over her for this strange young woman who had
treated her so badly. In spite of Kathleen's lack of principle, she had
the will to work, and she had already achieved much in her chosen field.
If only she had been like Ruth. Then the memory of Grace's own grievance
drove away the kinder thought. As they were on the point of leaving the
local room their eyes had chanced to meet, and Grace's flashed with an
unmistakable contempt that caused Kathleen to color and turn her head.

On Sunday morning the dreaded good-byes were said and Mr. Ashe and Mabel
saw their guests safely aboard the train for Overton. It was late Sunday
afternoon when, tired and luggage laden, the five girls climbed into the
automobile bus at the Overton station, and were straightway conveyed to
Wayne Hall. Kathleen West had not returned on the same train with them,
nor did she appear until late the following afternoon. That she might be
reprimanded for overstaying her vacation either did not occur to her, or
else the possibility held no terror for her.

The instant the door of Wayne Hall closed behind her Grace darted to the
house bulletin board. In it was a letter for Anne, one for Elfreda and
two for herself. She choked back a sob as she saw that one of the
envelopes bore her father's handwriting, the ot