ss and I felt that even the old portrait grandmother would
have been glad to have Roxanne make me so happy.

Then I had an addition to my first plan. Ideas have a way of splitting
off and multiplying themselves like jellyfish do in the natural
history, if they are in favorable environment. I asked Mr. Snider to
set all the jewelry trays upon the counter again; and beginning at the
first one, I bought a nice token of my regard for all eleven of my
class at the Byrd Academy.

"Now, Roxanne," I said as I left the store, "I know that this action
of mine looks very vulgarly rich, and if anybody did it to me I would
be as mad as Tony and all the rest will be if I offer them this
jewelry without an explanation. But Mr. Snider and the seven children
he has are enough to excuse any amount of vulgarity. Cigars and
jewelry are very little for that large family to thrive on, and that
was forty-five dollars I spent. I should think my friends would
sympathize with me in having to get rid of this money in a sensible
and charitable way, enough to take the tokens without any indignation
when I explain it to them. Don't you think so?

"Oh, Phyllis," said Roxanne, with the affection in her voice that I
hope I am never going to get accustomed to, "nobody would refuse to do
just like you want them to; and if they thought they could, you would
make them see that it would be mean to do it. They will all be
delighted with the presents. Can't you see Mamie Sue turning that ring
around and around on her finger?"

I had bought a ring with a lovely green set in it for Mamie Sue in
memory of the many horsehair ones she has had to wear to piece out her
memory, which must be fat and lazy like she is herself. I am going to
make my presentation apologies to them all tomorrow while we eat lunch
out on the flat rock in the academy yard. Sometimes we take a double
lunch and invite the boys to come over and share it with us. Roxanne
and I have planned to do this. She is going to let Uncle Pompey make
some one of his favorites for us. She is still indulging him in
cooking materials, but thinks she will have to begin to starve again
on June first. The new invention has got as far as needing some
chemicals already. But it is best to climb away from an evil day upon
the ever convenient rosy cloud and that is what we did as we walked
along toward home.

But a strange thing happened, and funny, too. I'm blushing over my
awkwardness even as I write just to