d smile that showed all her strong white
teeth back to the last molar.

As for Billie, she could have hugged the mountainous black figure in the
relief she felt. Why, with the dinner all prepared like this it would be
just a lark to put it on the table--for just her and Chet alone.

"Debbie, you're a darling and I love you!" she cried, joyfully. "But you
know you really shouldn't have scared me so--it wasn't fair."

For answer Debbie grinned again and began to get her bulky figure up
the stairs, preparatory to dressing for the "in-gagement" with her
"young man."

Billie watched her go, and then with a little chuckle resumed her
dusting.

"I'd like to see Debbie's young man," she mused, a smile twisting the
corners of her mouth. "He ought to be a giant. Anyway, I feel sorry for
him if he isn't. Dear funny old Debbie--won't Chet and I have a picnic
to-night?"

And as she had predicted, they did have the time of their lives. Chet
refused to sit in the dining-room in lonely state, and in masterly
fashion invaded the kitchen.

"Say, that smells good, Billie, old girl," and he sniffed hungrily at the
stew. "Give me an apron and I'll help."

"Oh, look who wants to help," cried Billie, finding an apron nevertheless
and tying it around his waist so that he looked like a butcher's
assistant. "You will probably only get under my feet and bother me to
death, but I suppose I'll have to humor you. There, if you must do
something, set the table."

Now Chet did not want to set the table--it took him too far from the
appetizing aromas in the kitchen. However, he obeyed grumblingly and was
finally rewarded by being given a steaming dish of stew to carry in.

"Chet," screamed Billie, following him in and checking him just as he
was in the act of putting the hot dish on the tablecloth, "put a
protector under it. Don't you know," as Chet started and looked
reproachfully at her, "that you are apt to ruin the table? And it's
almost a brand new one at that."

"Well, you needn't scare a fellow to death," grumbled Chet. "I thought
I'd stepped on the cat." But he obeyed instructions.

"My! but doesn't everything look good?" cried Billie, sniffing hungrily.
"Hurry up, Chet, take off your apron and dish up the stew while I pour
the coffee. What do you know about that? _I_ made the coffee. And doesn't
it smell good?"

It was the jolliest of meals and finished up in royal fashion with the
peach pie and whipped cream.

In a very gal