elbow.

"Oh, dear, Miss Grayling! What _did_ he say? He is so excitable."
She almost wept. "I hope he has said nothing to offend you?"

Louise looked at her with a rather pitying smile.

"Don't be worried, Mrs. Tapp," she assured her. "Really, I think your
husband is awfully amusing."

Naturally disapproval was plainly enthroned upon Aunt Euphemia's
countenance when she saw her niece aiding in the entertainment of the
guests at the Tapp lawn fete. The Lady from Poughkeepsie had come with
the Perritons because, as she admitted, the candy manufacturer's family
must be placated to a degree.

"But you go too far, Louise. Even good nature cannot excuse this. I
am only thankful that young man is not at home. Surely you cannot be
really interested in Lawford Tapp?"

"Do spare my blushes," begged Louise, her palms upon her cheeks but her
eyes dancing. "Really, I haven't seen Lawford for days."

"Really, Louise?"

"Surely I would not deceive you, auntie," she said. "He may have lost
all his interest in me, too. He went away without bidding me good-bye."

"Well, I am glad of that!" sighed Aunt Euphemia. "I feared it was
different. Indeed, I heard something said------Oh, well, people will
gossip so! Never mind. But these Tapps are so pushing."

"I think Mrs. Tapp is a very pleasant woman; and the girls are quite
nice," Louise said demurely.

"You need not have displayed your liking for them in quite this way,"
objected Aunt Euphemia. "You could easily have excused yourself--the
uncertainty about your poor father would have been reason enough. I
don't know--I am not sure, indeed, but that we should go into mourning.
Of course, it would spoil the summer----"

"Oh! Aunt Euphemia!"

"Yes. Well, I only mentioned it. For my own part I look extremely
well in crepe."

Louise was shocked by this speech; yet she knew that its apparent
heartlessness did not really denote the state of her aunt's mind. It
was merely bred of the lady's shallowness, and of her utterly
self-centered existence.

That evening, long after supper and after the store lights were out,
and while Cap'n Amazon and Louise were sitting as usual in the room
behind the store, a hasty step on the porch and a rat-tat-tat upon the
side door announced a caller than whom none could have been more
unexpected.

"Aunt Euphemia!" cried Louise, when the master mariner ushered the lady
in. "What has happened?"

"Haven't you heard? Did you no