ment.

"It's for you, Martie. It's Sally," she said, surprised. "Sally!"
Martie did not understand. She had left Sally at the bridge, and Sally
was to go on to the Town Hall for Pa, with a letter.

"Hello, Martie!" said a buoyant yet tremulous voice. "Martie--this is
Sally. I'm over at Mrs. Hawkes's. Martie--I'm married!"

"Married!" echoed Martie stupidly, eyeing the listening Miss Fanny
bewilderedly.

"Yes--to Joe. Lissun--can't you come right over? I'll tell you all
about it!"

Martie put back the receiver in a state of utter stupefaction.
Fortunately the Library was empty, and after telling Miss Fanny the
little she knew, she went out into the sweet, hot street. The town was
in a tent of rustling new leaves; lilacs were in heavy flower. Roses
and bridal-wreath and mock-orange trees were in bloom. Rank brown grass
stood everywhere; the fruit blossoms were gone, tall buttercups were
nodding over the grass.

At the Hawkes's house there were laughter and excitement. Sally, rosier
and more talkative than even Martie had ever seen her before, was the
heroine of the hour. When Martie came in, she flew toward her in an
ecstasy, and with laughter and tears the tale was told. She and Joe had
chanced to meet on the Court House steps, Sally coming out from the
task of delivering a letter from Pa to Judge Parker, Joe going in with
a telegram for Captain Tate. And almost without words from the
lilac-scented, green-shaded street they had gone into the License
Bureau; and almost without words they had walked out to find Father
Martin. And now they were married! And the thin old ring on Sally's
young hand had belonged to Father Martin's mother.

Martie was too generous not to respond to her sister's demand, even if
she had not been completely carried away by the excitement about her.

Mrs. Hawkes, tears of joy in her eyes, yet smiles shining through them,
was brewing tea for the happy pair. Minnie Hawkes's Rose was making
toast when she was not jumping up and down half mad with delight. Ellen
Hawkes, now Mrs. Castle, was setting the table. Grandma Kelly was
quavering out blessings, and Joe's older brother, Thomas, who worked at
night, and had been breakfasting at four o'clock, when the young pair
burst in, rushed out to the bakery to come back triumphantly with a
white frosted cake.

"It's a fair cake," said Mrs. Hawkes in the babel. "But you wait--I'll
make you a cake!"

"And you know, Joe and I between us just made up