e," said Nan seriously, as, with bag clutched tightly
in her hand, she started with Bess down the long bustling platform.
"Anyway, I want to do my best to help the poor woman. I felt dreadfully
sorry for her."

"I feel sorry for everybody who isn't going to Palm Beach," cried Bess
gaily, as she looked about her with sparkling eyes. "Oh, Nan, isn't this
a lark?"

"You'd better look out," cried Nan sharply, as Bess stepped directly in
front of a heaped-up baggage truck that was being trundled heavily down
the platform, "or it will be a tragedy instead."

The girls had supposed they had become accustomed to the noise and
confusion of a big city during their visit in Chicago, but as they
stepped from the great Pennsylvania Station on to the crowded New York
street they felt disconcertingly like startled country girls arriving in
the city for the first time.

"Goodness! I thought Chicago was awful," whispered Bess in Nan's ear.
"But this is worse. What shall we do?"

"That's easy," said Nan, taking command of the situation as usual. "Papa
Sherwood told me to take a taxi straight over to the dock and not to
speak to any one on the way."

"Well, I think we'll have our choice of taxis," remarked Bess, with a
chuckle, as several chauffeurs standing by or sitting in cabs drawn up
along the curb espied the well-dressed girls and immediately set up a
cry of "Taxi, taxi! Right this way, lady!"

Looking as if she had been used to riding around in taxicabs in strange
and noisy cities all her life, Nan walked forward, still clutching the
precious bag that held Mrs. Bragley's papers and calmly selected a
brilliant yellow cab whose driver opened the door to her respectfully.

Bess followed, all eyes and ears for the noise and confusion of the
street. Nan gave instructions to the chauffeur, who touched his cap,
slammed the door shut on the girls and sprang to his seat in front.

"I think you are just wonderful, Nan Sherwood," said Bess, when they
were gliding swiftly off through the bewildering traffic. "I was
frightened to death when all those men started shouting at us at once. I
wanted to run back into the station and hide. But _you_ didn't, and of
course _I_ didn't, and here we are!" She gave an excited little bounce
on the seat. "Only," she added reproachfully, "I don't see why you
picked out a yellow taxi. You know I hate yellow."

"Goodness! I didn't even notice the color," said Nan, feeling her
suitcase with one foot t