rathfully. President Wilson was rapidly
becoming anathema in Susan's kitchen.

Mary Vance dropped in one evening to tell the Ingleside folks that she
had withdrawn all opposition to Miller Douglas's enlisting.

"This Lusitania business was too much for me," said Mary brusquely.
"When the Kaiser takes to drowning innocent babies it's high time
somebody told him where he gets off at. This thing must be fought to a
finish. It's been soaking into my mind slow but I'm on now. So I up and
told Miller he could go as far as I was concerned. Old Kitty Alec won't
be converted though. If every ship in the world was submarined and
every baby drowned, Kitty wouldn't turn a hair. But I flatter myself
that it was me kept Miller back all along and not the fair Kitty. I may
have deceived myself--but we shall see."

They did see. The next Sunday Miller Douglas walked into the Glen
Church beside Mary Vance in khaki. And Mary was so proud of him that
her white eyes fairly blazed. Joe Milgrave, back under the gallery,
looked at Miller and Mary and then at Miranda Pryor, and sighed so
heavily that every one within a radius of three pews heard him and knew
what his trouble was. Walter Blythe did not sigh. But Rilla, scanning
his face anxiously, saw a look that cut into her heart. It haunted her
for the next week and made an undercurrent of soreness in her soul,
which was externally being harrowed up by the near approach of the Red
Cross concert and the worries connected therewith. The Reese cold had
not developed into whooping-cough, so that tangle was straightened out.
But other things were hanging in the balance; and on the very day
before the concert came a regretful letter from Mrs. Channing saying
that she could not come to sing. Her son, who was in Kingsport with his
regiment, was seriously ill with pneumonia, and she must go to him at
once.

The members of the concert committee looked at each other in blank
dismay. What was to be done?

"This comes of depending on outside help," said Olive Kirk,
disagreeably.

"We must do something," said Rilla, too desperate to care for Olive's
manner. "We've advertised the concert everywhere--and crowds are
coming--there's even a big party coming out from town--and we were
short enough of music as it was. We must get some one to sing in Mrs.
Channing's place."

"I don't know who you can get at this late date," said Olive. "Irene
Howard could do it; but it is not likely she will after the way