ure, roll his eyes
heavenward, and then plunge into the nearest telephone booth.

In due time William Henshaw had his brother Bertram at the other end of
the wire.

"Bertram!" he called shakily.

"Hullo, Will; that you? What's the matter? You're late! Didn't he come?"

"Come!" groaned William. "Good Lord! Bertram--Billy's a GIRL!"

"A wh-what?"

"A girl."

"A GIRL!"

"Yes, yes! Don't stand there repeating what I say in that idiotic
fashion, Bertram. Do something--do something!"

"'Do something'!" gasped Bertram. "Great Scott, Will! If you want me to
do something, don't knock me silly with a blow like that. Now what did
you say?"

"I said that Billy is--a--girl. Can't you get that?" demanded William,
despairingly.

"Well, by Jove!" breathed Bertram.

"Come, come, think! What shall we do?"

"Why, bring her home, of course."

"Home--home!" chattered William. "Do you think we five men can bring up
a distractingly pretty eighteen-year-old girl with curly cheeks and pink
hair?"

"With wha-at?"

"No, no. I mean curly hair and pink cheeks. Bertram, do be sensible,"
begged the man. "This is serious!"

"Serious! I should say it was! Only fancy what Cy will say! A girl! Holy
smoke! Tote her along--I want to see her!"

"But I say we can't keep her there with us, Bertram. Don't you see we
can't?"

"Then take her to Kate's, or to--to one of those Young Women's Christian
Union things."

"No, no, I can't do that. That's impossible. Don't you understand? She's
expecting to go home with me--HOME! I'm her Uncle William."

"Lucky Uncle William!"

"Be still, Bertram!"

"Well, doesn't she know your--mistake?--that you thought she was a boy?"

"Heaven forbid!--I hope not," cried the man, fervently. "I 'most let it
out once, but I think she didn't notice it. You see, we--we were both
surprised."

"Well, I should say!"

"And, Bertram, I can't turn her out--I can't, I tell you. Only fancy my
going to her now and saying: 'If you please, Billy, you can't live at
my house, after all. I thought you were a boy, you know!' Great Scott!
Bert, if she'd once turned those big brown eyes of hers on you as she
has on me, you'd see!"

"I'd be delighted, I'm sure," sung a merry voice across the wires.
"Sounds real interesting!"

"Bertram, can't you be serious and help me out?"

"But what CAN we do?"

"I don't know. We'll have to think; but for now, get Kate. Telephone
her. Tell her to come right straight over, and t