that always has been strong in
my heart and it never was so strong as it is at this minute."

So they boarded the street car and ran out to Lilac Valley. When Katy
admitted them Linda put her arm around her and kissed her. She could see
that the house was freshly swept and beautifully decorated with flowers,
and her trained nostrils could scent whiffs of delicious odors from
food of which she was specially fond. In all her world Katy was the one
person who was celebrating her birthday. She seemed rather surprised
when Linda and Gilman came in together.

"Where is Eileen?" inquired Linda.

"She must have made some new friends," said Katy. "About four o'clock,
the biggest car that ever roared down this street rolled up, and the
biggest man and woman that I ever see came puffin' and pantin' in. Miss
Eileen did not tell me where she was goin' or when she would be back,
but I know it won't be the night, because she took her little dressin'
case with her. Belike it's another of them trips to Riverside or
Pasadena."

"Very likely," said Linda quietly. "Katy, can you spare a few minutes?"

"No, lambie, I jist can't," said Katy, "because a young person that's
the apple of me eye is havin' a birthday the day and I have got me
custard cake in the oven and the custard is in the makin', and after
Miss Eileen went and I didn't see no chance for nothin' special, I
jist happened to look out, one of the ways ye do things unbeknownst
to yourself, and there stood Mr. Pater Morrison moonin' over the
'graveyard,' like he called it, and it was lookin' like seein' graves he
was, and I jist took the bull by the horns, and I sings out to him and
I says: 'Mr. Pater Morrison, it's a good friend ye were to the young
missus when ye engineered her skylight and her beautiful fireplace, and
this bein' her birthday, I'm takin' the liberty to ask ye to come to
dinner and help me celebrate.' And he said he would run up to the garage
and get into his raygimentals, whatever them might be, and he would be
here at six o'clock. So ye got a guest for dinner, and if the custard's
scorched and the cake's flat, it's up to ye for kapin' me here to tell
ye all this."

Then Katy hurried to the kitchen. Linda looked at John Gilman and
smiled.

"Isn't that like her?" she said.

Then she led the way to the library, pulled aside the books, fitted the
key to the little door, and opened it. Inside lay a single envelope,
sealed and bearing her name. She took the