ndma leaned
over and laid her hand softly on her sister's. "It is such a long time,
such a very long time ago," she said softly.

Aunt Emmeline smiled a little sadly. "Yes, a long time," she repeated.
"You wore, what was it you wore, Cecelia?"

"I wore pink tarlatan trimmed with rosebuds and a wreath of them in my
hair. The skirt was caught up with bunches of the little buds and green
leaves, and I thought it the prettiest dress I ever saw."

"It was a great ball," Aunt Emmeline went on, brightening. "I danced
every set, and so did you, Cecelia."

"And how everyone did talk because I danced so many with Ben Willis whom
I had met for the first time that night. He would see me home, you
remember, although Uncle Phil and Cousin Dick were both there to look
after us; we were staying at our uncle's, my dears. It was during the
early days of the war, and there was much talk of what would happen next
and who would be going off to join the army, you remember."

"It was not till two years after, that Steve went," said Aunt Emmeline
wistfully.

"Tell us about Steve," spoke up Frank. "Did he become a soldier?"

Celia shook her head warningly at her little brother, for she knew Aunt
Emmeline's story, and of how her young lover was killed in battle, but
Aunt Emmeline did not hesitate to answer. "Yes, he went, but he never
came back."

Silence fell upon the little group for a moment till Aunt Emmeline
herself broke it by saying, "Do you remember, Cecelia, how angry you
were with Polly Parker because she copied your dress, and how you were
going to have yours trimmed with daisies, and changed all that at the
last moment? I can see you now, ripping off those inoffensive daisies
and flinging them on the floor."

Grandma laughed. "Well, after all, hers wasn't a bit like mine, for it
was a different shade of pink and wasn't made the same way. Yes, I was
furious, I remember, because it wasn't the first time Polly had copied
my things; she had a way of doing it."

"Here comes grandpa," announced Herbert who did not find all this talk
of dress and balls very interesting.

The entrance of grandpa and Uncle Bert broke up the party by the fire,
for soon the sandwiches and other things were brought in, then came
songs and games till, before anyone realized it, bedtime came and
Thanksgiving Day was over.

CHAPTER V

THE RED BOOK

Whether it was the search for the key in the chill of the early morning,
or whether it was