eet, rich, nutty loaves of
brown bread, even more delectable. Waffles and muffins and pancakes
vied with one another to make one meal better than another; apple
dumpling, cherry pie, and blackberry roly-poly varied with chocolate
steamed pudding, lemon custard, and velvet whip made the desserts an
eagerly awaited surprise.

Leslie hovered over everything new that was made, and wanted to have a
hand in it. Each day she learned some new and wholesome fact about
housekeeping, and seemed to take to the knowledge readily. Her first
attempt at real cooking was learning to make bread; and, when she
succeeded so well that Allison thought it was his aunt's baking, she
declared her intention of making it once a week just to keep her hand
in.

Allison had said no more about Christian Endeavor; and, when Thursday
afternoon came, he asked his aunt to ride to the city after a few
little articles that were still needed to make the house complete.
They had a pleasant trip, and Julia Cloud entirely forgot that the
young people had been asked to attend the committee meeting that
evening. Perhaps Allison was waiting for her to speak about it; for he
looked at his watch uneasily several times, and glanced back at his
aunt suspiciously; but she sat serenely enjoying the ride, and said
nothing. At last, just as they were nearing home he burst forth with,
"Cloudy, do you really think we ought to go to that bl-looming thing
to-night?"

Julia Cloud lifted quiet eyes and smiled.

"I didn't say you ought to go; did I, dear?"

"Well, yes, you sorta did, Cloudy."

Julia Cloud shook her head.

"I don't think I did. I said it wasn't a matter for me to meddle
with."

"Well, don't you?"

"No, Allison, not unless you feel that God has called you and you are
willing to do what He wants you to. If you just went because you
thought I wanted you to go, I don't believe it would be worth while,
because you wouldn't be working with the right spirit. But, as I said
before, that is something you have got to account for to God, not to
me."

Allison drew his brows in a frown, and said no more; but he was almost
silent at supper, and ate with an abstracted air. At quarter to eight
he flung down the magazine he had been reading, and got up.

"Well, I s'pose I've got to go to that bloomin' thing," he said half
angrily. "Come on, kid; you going?"

Leslie hurried into her hat and cape, and they went off together,
Allison grumbling in a low, half-pleas