The Girls of Friendly Terrace

he north ran Sixtieth Street. No one could have guessed when the Terrace was laid out that the name would prove so appropriate, and that th

plump babies rolling over the lawns, no girls gathering on one another's porches, like robins in the boughs of a cherry tree, or strolling along th

mortally afraid of growing taller, down to Amy, who was almost as broad as she was long, and who was in a chronic state of announcing her determination to leave off eating candy next wee

visit," Amy observed reminiscently, "her train

Ruth said with decision, "O Peggy's train couldn'

Aunt Fanny came. A freight train was wrecked just ahead of them, and they had to stand

orous light. Amy saw the look and understood it, but was far from being offended. In point of disposition, Amy was as sweet as the con

s. "Fat people never get any sympathy." She stopped abruptly,

uth. "The hack's co

ng and going. Tall Priscilla forgot her dignity and capered like a five year old, while Amy went tripping down the street to meet the hack, which, of course, passed her, reducing her to the necessity of following in pursuit, panting and very red in the fa

een Ruth and herself, narrowly avoiding upsetting both. "That dog knows it'

tween Peggy's home and the vacant cottage next door. Be

e are,

re dying for a

t comment was unnecessary, as Taffy was speaking for himself, barking u

ich added to her apparent slenderness. Her lips, which suggested a degree of self-repression, unusual in a girl

uncing discoveries which had been apparent to ev

ody else," explained Priscilla, with consi

in mourning to alight, and together they made their way to the empty cottage, which displayed in the front window the sign, "To Rent

ainly audible to the girl who was trying the key in the front door of the vacant cottage, but the latter only tightened her lips and did not

' and telling her we were dying to see her. O dear!" She wiped her eyes, and started on a

of a second hack, which with magical suddenness had spilled out upon the sidewalk a large girl and a small one, to say nothing of a motley collection of suit-cases,

y who stood waiting on the steps. There was a long clasp and more kisses than one, and none

to the tips of her toes she was bubbling over with life and joyous energy. It was a nice world, Peggy thought, full of nice people. Every to-morrow was stored for her with wonderful possibilities, as the yesterdays were full of sweet recol

y kissing everybody twice around. "Hasn't Dorothy grown, girls? Wouldn't you

nctness, scrubbing violently at her rosebud of a mouth. "

forgotten you since last year

O Amy, dear, you mustn't try to lift that h

t away," Amy replied dolefully. "Next week I'm going to

house, a laden procession, and piled Peggy's belongings in the middle of the living-room. Then they pulled

rself on Peggy's knee, as each of the others had preempted a side. "And to

r sister's name. "She isn't a bit well. You know we are going to keep Doroth

erested. "It sticked into me, and I hollered." She frowned meditat

it seems to get back to the Terrace, where people know each

ked, rather doubtfully. "I believe I'd love it. I like

the street. One morning while I was there we heard the greatest commotion in the flat just over ours. Somebody screamed, and then we could hear somebody else hurryi

d?" Amy demanded, as Pe

oman at all, though she thought the name on the letter box was Flemming. Well, the crying kept up till I couldn't stand it any longer. I just walked upstairs a

hospital. And she was so upset that she didn't know how to get ready to go to him, and the girl was so stupid that she didn't know how to help her. And I rushed around and found her hat and coat and put on her shoes for her--she was wearing slippers--and did every

n if she hadn't lived here more than six weeks, we'd

ing the moral Peggy was trying to

at first. He was home again before I left, such a n

ration of Peggy was an open secret in Friendly Terrace. The boy was hot and perspiring. He had run all the way home from his music teacher's, so impatient was he for a glimpse of the dearest as well as the most remarkable girl in

bserved, looking out of the window, apparently glad of

ame from the vacant cottage and moved toward the waiting hack. Her eyes dwelt approvingly on t

leasant announcement. "It looks as if we might be going

ces. "Always room for one more, I

d, as the shabby hack rumbled off. "She had such a nice way

astily, "We took her for you at first, Peggy. We were

a added, choking down a laugh, as she remembered the contemptuous indiff

ome here. And I don't like to have a vacant house on the Terrace. It reminds me of a child shedding it

led, a rather peculiar whistle, long

ng home at this time in the morning? O,

arly starved. I couldn't eat any breakfast this m

r claim on Peggy was in no sense superior to that of the other girls. She was one of the people who liked to be first, and, though generous enough with her other possessions, she found it hard to share her friend. Yet there were moments whe

"To Rent" had disappeared from the window of the house next door. "That means new neighbors, certain sure," thought Peggy hopefull