, grandpa." Peace was warming up to
the subject. "It hasn't anything to do with tramps or beggars, and I
don't want to give away any more of my clo'es--'nless p'raps that white
apron to Lottie, 'cause she likes it so well. This is about the Home
children. You know our Fourth of July money?"

"Did you think I had forgotten that?" Inwardly he was shaking with
merriment. He never recalled the dedication of the flag room without
wanting to shout.

"No, but I did think maybe it had skipped your mind just for a minute."

"Well, it hasn't. What does your Fourth of July money have to do with
the Home children and white aprons?"

"White aprons ain't in it--only that one I should like to give Lottie,
but that can be any day. What we want to do is share our fire-crackers
with the Home children, 'cause the Lady Boards don't allow for such
things in raising money to take care of the Home, and so the children
won't have any to celebrate with, 'nless their fathers bring them a few,
and mostly the fathers are too hard up for that. Allee and me have
dollars and dollars in our bank just to _cluttervate_ our love of
country with, and we thought this would be a splendid chance to--"

"Spread the d'sease," finished Allee, as Peace paused for want of words
to express her ideas.

"It ain't a _disease_, Allee Greenfield! To make 'em happy--that's what
I meant to say."

"A very worthy object, my dear."

"Then you like it and won't kick?"

"If you have considered the matter carefully and want to share your
Fourth of July with the Home children, I am perfectly willing, girlies,
and will do all I can to help you succeed."

"That's what we wanted to know, grandpa," she cried gleefully. "You'll
have all kinds of chances to help, too, 'cause I've just thought of
ice-cream and watermelon--if they are ripe by that time--and ice-cream
anyway, with a nice picnic dinner to go with the fire-crackers and
_Roming_ candles. Some of 'em have never had but two or three dishes of
ice-cream in all their lives. Think how tickled they will be! P'raps my
Lilac Lady will invite them all over to her house to celebrate, 'cause
it always seems so much nicer to go away somewhere for a picnic, even if
'tis only a few blocks. And the stone house has great wide lawns,
bigger'n ours, though I like ours best on account of the river, even if
we haven't all the lovely flowers which Hicks has planted in his
gardens."

Thoughtfully the President lifted the shade beh