found that even Dot's
party would not spread out sufficiently to use up the space they had
allotted to social events, but to the club members themselves. It was
Judge Arthur's fiftieth birthday, and as he was a childless man, quite
alone in the world, his friendly neighbors were determined to make the
day memorable for him. The meeting was to be at Three Gables, so the
journalists were behind the scenes from the start. The only difficulty
in the way of their writing it up was that they were so busy all day
that there was not time to take a pen in hand.

"I always see to the refreshments when they meet here," said Catherine
to her three helpers, as she appeared, wearing by Hannah's request, her
brown smock. "You can crack the nuts for the salad if you will, Frieda;
and Hannah, if you and Alice will get the dishes out of the way, that
would be the most help. Mother wants Inga to sweep the living-room, and
we can have a jolly time out here."

"You ought to see the kitchen at Frieda's house," said Hannah, as she
made a fine suds in the rinsing pan and poured it over the glasses.
"What did you think of our black stoves and things, Frieda?"

"I saw one in the American church first, you know."

Hannah smiled at the diplomatic evasion. "You are the nicest thing I
ever saw, Frieda. You don't say anything unfavorable of anything any
more. When I was at your house I kept criticising the whole country. But
you are so polite,--as polite as Karl!"

Frieda looked pleased, but she only said sedately: "We were children
when you were in Berlin, Hannah. Now it is proper for us to act like
grown-ups."

"You were awfully grown-up in that pillow fight last night!"

Instantly the mask of primness vanished from Frieda's face, and roguish
twinkles showed themselves.

"Don't let me ever catch you turning prig, Frieda Lange," advised
Hannah. "And now don't ask me what a prig is, for I don't know in
German, and there's no way here to find out. What else are you going to
have for eats, Catherine?"

Catherine shuddered. "I suppose you'd think I was a prig if I told you
how I hate that word 'eats,' so I won't tell you! The chief thing
to-night is the birthday cake, of course. And Inga is going to make
grape-fruit sherbet. It's so nice with a little tang of tartness to it,
you know. And we'll have olive sandwiches with the salad and coffee. You
can all help with those!"

"It's such fun to help," said Alice. "At home there are so many of us