uld certainly be the most
sensible thing you could do."

"Rosie, that's the one thing I can't do, whether I'd like to or not. I'm
sorry, though, because I don't want you to think I'm only stubborn."

It was Rosie's turn to sigh. "You're an awful hard person to help,
Jarge. You pretend you're perfectly willing to be sensible, yet the
minute I tell you how you draw back." Rosie sighed again.

"But at least, Jarge, you might be sensible in other things." She turned
on him with sudden energy. "And do you know, Jarge, if you were sensible
in other things, I think you might easy enough make Ellen like you! Why
not?"

"Ain't I sensible in other things?" George spoke a little plaintively.

"I should say not! Everything you do gives Ellen another chance to laugh
at you and make fun of you. Take the other night at the Twirlers' dance.
Now if you had gone about that thing right you could have made Ellen and
all the other girls just crazy about you. You needn't think Ellen
wouldn't like to have a beau that can lick everybody in sight. She
would. Any girl would. But all you did was make her mad."

George groaned. His prowess at the Twirlers' was not a pleasant memory.
When he spoke, his tone was a little sullen. "What is it you want me to
do?"

"I only want you to act sensible."

"Well, then, tell me this: how's a born fool to act sensible?"

"When he don't know how to act sensible himself," Rosie answered,
"there's only one thing for him to do and that is to take the advice of
some one who does know."

George laughed. "Meaning yourself, Rosie?"

"Sure I mean myself. I don't mind saying that I consider myself very far
from a born fool. I'm not a bit ashamed of being sensible. Janet
McFadden always says that I'm not very smart but that I've got lots of
common sense. Danny Agin thinks so, too. He often consults me about
things." Rosie nodded complacently.

George chuckled. "I'm with Janet and Danny all right. I always did swear
by you, Rosie!"

"Then why don't you do as I tell you?" Rosie faced him squarely. "It
would be very much better for you!"

For a moment George looked at her in affectionate amusement. Then his
face grew serious as her own. "All right, Rosie, I will. You're right: I
have made a bad mess of things with Ellen. It couldn't be worse. So
here's my promise: for the rest of the time I'm here, I'll do just
exactly as you say."

Rosie beamed her approval. "And I promise you, Jarge, you won't be
sorry!