ding with pursed lips.

"You are behaving in a most selfish way," the Lady from Poughkeepsie
declared. "Everybody here has remarked how you have neglected me for
those Tapps. They have taken full advantage of your patronage to push
themselves into the society of their betters."

"Perhaps," sighed Louise. "But consider, auntie. This is a free and
more or less independent republic. After all, money is the only
recognized mark of aristocracy."

"Money!"

"Yes. How far would the Perritons' blue blood get them--or the
Standishes'--or the Graylings'--without money? And consider our own
small beginnings. Your great, great, great grandfather was a knight of
the yardstick and sold molasses by the quart."

"You are incorrigible, Louise," cried Aunt Euphemia, her fingers in her
ears. "I will not listen to you. It is sacrilegious."

"It's not a far cry," her niece pursued, "from molasses to taffy. And
it seems to me one is quite as aristocratic as the other."

So she left Mrs. Conroth in a horrified state of mind and stepped out
to face the gale. Seeing others streaming down upon the sands, Louise,
too, sought the nearest flight of steps and descended to the foot of
the bluff.

This was Saturday and she hoped that Lawford would come for the
week-end. It was not Lawford, however, but his father into whose arms
she almost stumbled as she came out from under the shelter of the bank
into the full sweep of the gale.

"Oh, Mr. Tapp! Why is everybody running so? What has happened?"

The Taffy King had a most puzzling expression upon his face. He glared
at her as though he did not hear what she said. In his hand he
clutched an envelope.

"Ha! That you, Miss Grayling?" he growled. "Seen Ford?"

"No. Is he at home?"

"He's here fast enough," was I. Tapp's ungracious rejoinder. "I
supposed he'd come over to see you."

"Perhaps he has," she returned wickedly. "He is a very faithful
knight."

"He's a perfect ninny, if _that's_ what you mean," snapped the Taffy
King. "He's made a fool of me, too. I shouldn't wonder if he knew
this all along," and he shook the letter in his hand and scowled.

"You arouse my curiosity," Louise said. "I hope Lawford has done
nothing more to cause you vexation."

"I don't know whether he has or not. The young upstart! I feel like
punching him one minute, and then the next I've got to take off my hat
to him, Miss Grayling. D'you know what he's done?"

"Something rea