red,
contented sigh, and thankful that she had no crimps in the way.

"Well, I didn't find my pin, and I tore my dress, and knocked my head
till I saw stars, on that grape vine, but I had a grand tip-top time,
and I'd like to go again, yes, I would, if only to see Sadie Brooks
wiggle her eye-glass and say, 'How shocking!' when I walked the log
across the creek," was Kat's final remark as she dropped into worn-out
slumber.

CHAPTER XVII.

SEVERAL THINGS.

On Friday morning, while the girls were flying busily around, and Mrs.
Dering was deep in the task of getting a tall cake browned just to a
turn, there came a note from Mrs. Dane.

"How unfortunate," she mused, reading it hurriedly, as the girls ran in
to see what it was. "Mr. Dane has gone to the city and will not be back
until ten to night, and Mrs. Dane wants me to come and stay with her, as
she has one of her dreadful nervous attacks. I feel as though I ought to
go, if you can spare me girls!"

"Things will go higgle-ty-piggle-ty, sure as the world," said Kat,
balancing on the edge of the table, and fanning with the duster.

"No, they will not either," corrected Bea. "We ought to be ashamed if
they do. Go, of course, mama, though I will be dreadfully sorry not to
have you here this evening."

"The cake is not quite done, and has to be iced," said Mrs. Dering,
glancing from the fire to the clock. "I don't know,--"

"I'll finish it," said Kittie, letting down her dress, and replacing her
sweeping cap with a big kitchen apron. "Go, and get ready mama, then
come and tell me how to do the icing; the cake will be done by that
time."

"It must cool first, but you can get five eggs, and take the whites, get
the beater and the sugar, and then I'll be back," replied Mrs. Dering,
brushing some flour from her sleeves, and hurrying out.

"Now something is going to happen," said Kat with prophetic certainty.
"I feel it in my bones, and I bet you a postage-stamp it will be my
fault."

"Then I'd advise you to be careful," said Kittie, taking a hurried peep
into the oven.

"Never!" cried Kat. "Something would be sure to go wrong then; it always
does when I'm trying my very level best to be a credit to my family. The
only thing for me to do, is to go at it with a slap and a bang; then
things twist about like proper magic."

"What nonsense!" said Kittie, breaking eggs with deft fingers. "Have you
cleaned the lamps yet?"

"No, nor done much else either; it'