nd Sara
thought it was a burning shame that there seemed to be no chance for
his going to college. "You look all rumpled up in your conscience,
beloved sis," the boy went on, chaffingly.

"My conscience is all right," said Sara severely. "It's worse than
that. If you please, here's a letter from Aunt Josephina! She writes
that she is very lonesome. Her son has gone to South America, and
won't be back until spring, and she wants to come and spend the winter
with us."

"Well, why not?" asked Ray serenely. Nothing ever bothered Ray. "The
more the merrier."

"Ray Sheldon! Where are we to put her? We have no spare room, as you
well know."

"Can't she room with Cousin Caroline?"

"Cousin Caroline's room is too small for two. It's full to overflowing
with her belongings now, and Aunt Josephina will bring two trunks at
least. Try again, bright boy."

"What's the matter with the blue north room?"

"There is nothing the matter with it--oh, nothing at all! We could put
Aunt Josephina there, but where will she sleep? Where will she wash
her face? Will it not seem slightly inhospitable to invite her to sit
on a bare floor? Have you forgotten that there isn't a stick of
furniture in the blue north room and, worse still, that we haven't a
spare cent to buy any, not even the cheapest kind?"

"I'll give it up," said Ray. "I might have a try at squaring the
circle if you asked me, but the solution of the Aunt Josephina problem
is beyond me."

"The solution is simply that we must write to Aunt Josephina, politely
but firmly, that we can't have her come, owing to lack of
accommodation. You must write the letter, Ray. Make it as polite as
you can, but above all make it firm."

"Oh, but Sally, dear," protested Ray, who didn't relish having to
write such a letter, "isn't this rather hasty, rather inhospitable?
Poor Aunt Josephina must really be rather lonely, and it's only
natural she should want to visit her relations."

"We're _not_ her relations," cried Sara. "We're not a speck of
relation really. She's only the half-sister of Mother's half-brother.
That sounds nice and relationy, doesn't it? And she's fussy and
interfering, and she will fight with Cousin Caroline, everybody fights
with Cousin Caroline--"

"Except Sara," interrupted Ray, but Sara went on with a rush, "And we
won't have a minute's peace all winter. Anyhow, where could we put her
even if we wanted her to come? No, we can't have her!"

"Mother was always ve