e of the ideas that so often
struck them at almost the same moment. It came as they watched a motor
party go off, supplying themselves with a box of small cakes for the
children after trying to buy from Miss Foster the jar of wild iris that
stood in state on the table in the hall. It was not fresh enough to
travel they had decided when their hostess had offered to give it to
them and they all had examined the purple heads that showed themselves
to be past their prime when they were brought out into the light from
the semi-darkness of the hall.

"Couldn't we--?" murmured Ethel Blue with uplifted eye-brows, glancing
at Ethel Brown.

"Let's ask her if we may?" replied Ethel Brown, and without any more
discussion than this they laid before Miss Foster the plan that had
popped into their minds ready made. Ethel Brown was the spokeswoman.

"Would you mind if we had a flower counter here in your hall?" she
asked. "We need to make some money for our women at Rose House."

"A flower counter? Upon my word, children, you take my breath away!"
responded Miss Foster.

"We'd try not to give you any trouble," said Ethel Blue. "One of us
would stay here every day to look after it and we'd pay rent for the use
of the space."

"Upon my word!" exclaimed Miss Foster again. "You must let me think a
minute."

She was a rapid thinker and her decision was quickly made.

"We'll try it for a week," she said. "Perhaps we'll find that there
isn't enough demand for the flowers to make it worth while, though
people often want to buy any flowers they see here, as those people you
saw did."

"If you'll tell us just what space we can have we'll try not to bother
you," promised Ethel Blue again, and Miss Foster smiled at her
eagerness.

"We want it to be a regular business, so will you please tell us how
much rent we ought to pay?" asked Ethel Brown.

Miss Foster smiled again, but she was trying to carry on a regular
business herself and she knew how she would feel if people did not take
her seriously.

"We'll call it five per cent of what you sell," she said. "I don't think
I could make it less," and she smiled again.

"That's five cents on every dollar's worth," calculated Ethel Brown
seriously. "That isn't enough unless you expect us to sell a great many
dollars' worth."

"We'll call it that for this trial week, anyway," decided Miss Foster.
"If the test goes well we can make another arrangement. If you have a
pretty table it will