d. An' land knows, the fam'ly don't
sense 'em much more. Anyway, Emerel an' I ain't got any fam'ly. An' if
folks'd be willin' to send us what flowers they would send us if we died
_now_, then they'd do us some good. We'll never want 'em more'n we do
now, dead or alive. 'Least, I won't. Emerel, she don't seem to care. But
do you think it'd be all right if I was to mention it out around?"

My desire to have this happen I did my best not to confuse with a
disinterested opinion. But indeed Mrs. Ricker and Kitton was seldom in
need of an opinion, as was proved that night by the appearance of this
notice in the Friendship _Daily_:--

All that would give flowers when dead please send same anyhow and
not expected to send same if we do die afterwards.

MRS. RICKER AND KITTON.

All of Friendship society which intended to accept Mis' Sykes's
invitation hastened with relieved eagerness to follow with flowers its
regrets to the "comen out recep." For every one was genuinely attached
to the little laundress and interested in her welfare--up to the point
of sacrificing social interests in the eyes of the Sykeses. Friendship
gardens were rich with Autumn, cosmos and salvia and opulent asters, and
on the morning of the two parties this store of sweetness was rifled for
the debutante. By noon Mrs. Ricker and Kitton was saying in awe, "Nobody
in Friendship ever had this many flowers, dead, or alive, or rich." And
although some of us grieved that Mis' Postmaster Sykes had shown what
she named her good-will by ordering from the town a pillow of white
carnations (but with no "wording"), Mrs. Ricker and Kitton received even
this suggestive token with simple-hearted delight.

"It'll look lovely on the lamp shelf," she observed. "I've often planned
how nice my parlour'd trim up for a funeral."

In the preparation for the two events, the one unconcerned and
unconsulted appeared to be the debutante herself. We never said
"Emerel's party"; we all said "Mis' Ricker's party." We knew that Mrs.
Ricker and Kitton was putting painstaking care on Emerel's coming-out
dress, which was to be a surprise, but otherwise Emerel was seldom even
mentioned in connection with her debut. And whenever we saw her, it was
as Friendship had seen her for two years,--walking quietly with Abe
Daniel, her betrothed.

"It's doin' things kind o' backwards," Calliope Marsh said, "engaged
first an' comin' out in society afterwards. But I donno as it's any