, but you know not how to feed ze baby. You leave it to Lizette. She
takes ze perfect care of heem."

"I fancy that's right, Lizette," said Merry, straightening up and
looking at her. "You've proved that you know your business. I'll
remember you well, my girl. But, say, Lizette, what makes you do your
hair so queerly? What makes you hide your ears with it?"

The nurse seemed confused, and bowed her head until he could not see her
face fairly.

"Oh, maybe I have ze very ugly ear, monsieur. Eef not zat, mebbe I like
ze way I do ze hair. You know one time ze many girl do ze hair zis way
like Cleo de Merode."

"Well, you don't need to advertise yourself, and that was one of Cleo's
advertising dodges. Have you a brother?"

"A brothaire?"

"Yes."

"Why you ask it?"

"Because there's something wonderfully familiar in your appearance.
Because I've either seen you before or some one very much like you. Have
you a brother?"

"I have not ze brothaire."

"Then it must be a coincidence, but somehow I seem to remember dimly a
boy who looked like you. I may be mistaken."

"I have neither the brothaire nor the sistaire. I am all alone in ze
world, monsieur. I have ze hard time to geet ze living once. It gif me
ze great work."

"Well, don't worry about that any more, my girl. We need you right here
at Merry Home."

Inza was calling to him, and Frank hastened up the steps.

"I didn't expect you'd be able to come so soon, Frank," said his wife,
as he drew his chair close to hers.

"Oh, I arranged it to get off early this forenoon. Hodge has been
helping me. Diamond and Browning are still hard at work keeping the boys
pegging away."

"Everything is going well at the school?"

"Things couldn't go better. I don't know a boy who hasn't made great
improvement, although some have done far better than others. Each day it
seems that they take hold of the work with fresh enthusiasm and energy."

"You've got a great baseball bunch there, Merry," said Hodge. "I don't
wonder they trimmed everything in their class hereabouts. As a pitcher,
that fellow Sparkfair is the real article."

Frank nodded.

"You're right. Sparkfair is a wonder."

"But I can't quite fathom him," confessed Hodge. "If ever I saw a
deceptive young scoundrel, it's that chap. At times he's so meek and
modest that he dazes me. At other times he's so flippant and forward
that I want to collar him and shake him out of his clothes. I wouldn't
know how to de