t wouldn't give it to her, anyway,
for a while. I'd let her stew and fret for it for a good long
spell--after such hatefulness!"

Phyllis's manner was so vindictive that Leslie had to smile in spite of
herself.

"But oh, see here!" Phyllis went on. "_I_ have an idea--a glorious idea!
It may help to clear up a lot of things. I know Aunt Sally Blake very
well, and we'll go and see her--this very afternoon! Perhaps she can give
us more light on the subject."

"But wouldn't that seem too plainly like tracking down this--Miss
Ramsay?" objected Leslie, "especially as she doesn't appear to care for
our acquaintance!"

"Not a bit!" declared Phyllis, positively. "You don't realize how well
_I_ know Aunt Sally. Why, she's a regular village institution--everybody
knows her and thinks the world of her. She's a plump, jolly, delightful
old lady who lives in a delightful old house full of dear, old-fashioned
furniture. She keeps a lot of chickens and often sells them and the fresh
eggs, and she does a little sewing, and sometimes takes a boarder or two,
and goes out nursing occasionally--and oh, I don't know what all! But I
know that we couldn't get along at all around here without Aunt Sally.
We'll go down to her house this afternoon and call (I really haven't been
to see her since I came down this time), and I'll ask her if she has a
nice roasting chicken that I can have. That'll be a perfectly good
excuse. And if our polite young lady isn't around, I'll try and get her
to talk. Aunt Sally loves to talk, but she isn't a gossip like old Mrs.
Selby, and we'll have to go at it a little more carefully."

They solaced themselves with this thought, and awaited with more than a
little impatience the visit that afternoon. Surely Aunt Sally, if any
one, would be able to solve some of their mysteries!

By afternoon, the weather had turned warm, almost sultry, and they found
Aunt Sally sitting on her front porch, rocking gently and humming to
herself over her sewing. She was delighted to see Phyllis again and to
make the acquaintance of Leslie, whom Phyllis introduced as her neighbor
and very dear friend. When they had chatted about topics of common
interest for a while, Phyllis introduced the subject of the chicken.

"Bless your heart, dear!" cried Aunt Sally. "I'm so sorry, but I haven't
a roasting chicken just now in the whole yard--nothing but fowls. But I
can give you a couple of nice young broilers--and I've plenty of fresh
eggs