le at the
recollection of the Geary kitchen. "You see, Mother, I've been
maid-of-all-work."

"And now you've come back to be maid-of-all-play, as usual," broke in
Cousin Jack, who didn't want the conversation to take a serious turn,
for all present were under stress of suppressed emotion.

"I say, Mops, you ought to have known better," was King's brotherly
comment, but he pulled off her black hair-ribbons in the old,
comforting way, and Midget grinned at him.

"Let's dispense with these trappings of woe," said Cousin Jack, dropping
the black ribbons in a convenient waste-basket.

So Midget went out to supper without any ribbons, her mop of curls
tumbling all over her head and hanging down her shoulders.

"My, but I'm hungry!" she said, as she saw once again her own home
table, with its pretty appointments and appetizing food.

"You bet you are!" said King, appreciatively; "tell us what you had to
eat in the rural district."

"Boiled beef," said Midget, smiling; "and gingerbread and turnips!"

"Not so awful worse," commented King.

"No? Well, s'pose you try it once! I like these croquettes and Saratoga
potatoes a whole heap better!"

"Well, I 'spect I do, too. I say, Mops, I'm glad you didn't break your
word to come out and play,--at least, not intentionally."

"No, I never break my word. But I guess if you thought you didn't have
any father or mother or brother or sister, you'd forget all about going
out to play, too."

"I haven't any brother," said King, looking very sad and forlorn.

"I'll be a brother to you," declared Cousin Jack, promptly; "you behaved
like a man, last night, old fellow,--and I'm proud to claim you as a man
and a brother."

"Pooh, I didn't do anything," said King, modestly.

"Yes, you did," said his mother. "You were fine, my son. And I never
could have lived through to-day without you, either."

"Dear old Kingsy-wingsy!" said Midget, looking at him with shining eyes.
And then,--for it was their long-established custom,--she tweaked his
Windsor scarf untied.

As this was a mark of deep affection, King only grinned at her and
retied it, with an ease and grace born of long practice.

"Well, Mehitabel," said Cousin Jack, "I always said you were a child who
could do the most unexpected things. Here you've been and turned this
whole house upside down and had us all nearly crazy,--and here you are
back again as smiling as a basket of chips. And yet you did nothing for
which any one