ttle
girl to do things that might bring her to harm.

"When I go off to be a real pirate," Sammy confessed later to Neale, "I
ain't goin' to take a girl anyway. No more. My father says pirates that
carried off women with 'em never came to a good end."

The flurry of excitement and anxiety regarding Dot and Sammy blew over
as all similar things did. With Mrs. MacCall, one may believe that
there was seldom a day passed at the old Corner House that did not bring
its own experiences of a startling nature. Aunt Sarah declared she was
kept "in a fidgit" all the time by the children.

"I don't know what a fidgit is," Tess confessed; "but we've got to be
careful what we do now for a while, Dottie."

"Why?" asked the little girl.

"'Cause Aunt Sarah seems awfully uncomfortable when she's in one of
those fidgits. Yesterday, when you were lost, she was walking up and
down stairs and all over the house. She must have walked _miles_! I
guess fidgits are wearing on her."

The older Corner House girls did not mean that their guests should feel
neglected because of the excitement about the lost children. One day's
planned amusement for Cecile and Luke Shepard was lost. The latter
declared, however, that pursuing embryo pirates and saving burning
canalboats, to say nothing of attending the circus, seemed to him to
have made up a more or less interesting and exciting day.

Luke was making himself much liked by every member of the Corner House
family. Even Aunt Sarah endured his presence with more than usual
complacency. Agnes found him a most cheerful philosopher and friend. The
little girls considered him, next to Neale O'Neil, to be the nicest boy
they had ever known.

Mrs. MacCall had her say regarding Luke Shepard, too. It was to Ruth,
and the outburst came after the Scotch woman had ample time to consider
and form her opinion of the young man.

"Hech, ma lassie! there's a time coming when all o' ye will be thinkin'
o' young men, an' bringin' them to the hoose. Forbye it's natural ye
should. But 'tis in ma mind, Ruthie, ye'll never find one more suited to
ye than yon bonnie lad."

"Oh, Mrs. Mac!" gasped Ruth, blushing furiously, and she actually ran
out of the room to escape the keen scrutiny of the old housekeeper.

The oldest Corner House girl was growing up. One could not doubt it.
Agnes exclaimed one morning as she and Ruth were dressing:

"Why, Ruthie! you really are as big as the old girls now. Of course you
are.