ook like one,
Cloudy? And that girdle is darling, all shirred that way!"

That was Julia Cloud's introduction to the guest as she stood in the
open door and watched the two trip along the brick terrace to the
entrance.

Leslie snatched away the long, dark cloak that covered Jane Bristol's
dress; and she stood forth embarrassed in the firelight, clad in soft,
pale-blue chiffon in simple straight lines blending into the white
throat in a little round neck, and draping the white girlish, arms.
The firelight and lamplight glimmered and flickered over the softly
waved brown hair, the sweet, serious brow, the delicate, refined face;
and Jane Bristol lifted two earnest deep-blue eyes, and looked at
Julia Cloud. Then between them flashed a look of understanding and
sympathy, and each knew at once that she liked the other.

"Isn't she a dear, Cloudy Jewel?" demanded Leslie.

"She is!" responded Julia Cloud, and put her arms softly around the
slender blue-clad shoulders. Then she looked up to see the eyes of
Allison resting upon them with satisfaction.

They turned down the light and sat before the fire for a little while,
telling about the success of the evening and talking of this and that,
just getting acquainted; and, when they finally took Jane Bristol up
to the pretty guest-room, it was with a sense that a new and lasting
friendship had been well begun. Julia Cloud as she lay down to sleep
found herself wondering whether her children would always show so much
good sense in picking out their friends as they had done this time.

CHAPTER XVII

The day when college opened was a great day. The children could hardly
eat any breakfast, and Allison gave Leslie a great many edifying
instructions about registering.

"Now, kid, if you get stuck for anything, just you hunt me up. I'll
see that you get straightened out. If you and Jane Bristol could only
get together, you could help each other a lot. I'll get some dope from
some of the last-year fellows. That's the advantage I get from finding
a chapter of my frat here. They'll put me wise as to the best
course-advisers, and you stick around near the entrance till I give
you the right dope. It doesn't pay to get started wrong in college."

Leslie meekly accepted all these admonitions, and they started off
together in the car with an abstracted wave of good-by to Julia Cloud,
who somehow felt suddenly left out of the universe. To have her
two newly-acquired children su