ompany with those gay young people on Thanksgiving noon. All spick and span and as gloomless as a house should be on that wonderf

clothes, just as if he had not said good-by to most of them an hour earlier when they ran out the back

ically occupationed cooking contingent, either. She swept magnificently into the room and

st through the doorway, all bright with its crooked dimples much in evidence. Her fair hair was curling moi

ey brought the dinner to the table. "I feel all sizzled up and roasted, and both my hands are cut and burned be

hat the hungry eyes of school-girls ever beheld. Mr. Huntington himself looked

nd brown. The center-piece was a triumphant pumpkin hollowed out and scalloped and laden with oranges, grapes, and very red apples. The turkey smoked in the middle of the t

ds, examining the ridiculous souvenirs appended, all in a hurried and eager endeavor to find their own places! Not nearly all of the girls could sit at the table-there were sixty in the school,-but the g

Gloomy House," and falling from the door were weird little pasteboard roly-poly objects labeled "Glooms." These were flat but stood erect by virtue of wee standards at the back pasted to the p

he slowly lifted the roof of the little pasteboard house. Inside were si

t into shrieks of laughter. She had prepared most of the grinds with the others, but of course hers had been kept a secret and she had not seen it until this minute. Hers and Katherine's were in one, being nothing more nor less than two smashed dolls

S., S

lue-dressed one

you! I'll

accompanied it

Dumpty met

umpty had a

horses and al

mpty or Dumpty

hat were Katherine Foster's own effort were brought in with wild cheers to greet them,

an Mr. Huntington,

cted from the othe

ommend her for a cook. And I want to say-" he raised his voice, "that after the spread I've had to-day I'm willing and anxious t

rrupted with j

of now that she'd especially like to have, I'

ed with a capital. She carefully brushed the crumbs from her lap and rose, while to their horror the girls heard her say, "If your kind offe

was some three minutes before the spasm was entirely over and other sounds could be heard again. Peggy was exhausted from

ington, there is one thing that Andrews has wa

ized with a fit of coughing that riv

hispered out of the corner of her mouth a few minutes later as her gasp

have gotten overheated getting the dinner and t

fainted dead away and toppled into a

ough the room, incongruously enough, a

s limp head and patting her perfectly normally rosy face. "Have you some whisky, Mr.

igh her way back to consciousness and her eyes fluttered open a

rous as they knew their mirth to be, this was too much for the girls and they sho

. And she seemed to be, for she did not pursue the subject of the contribution further in their hearing, and how could they know that she tagged Mr. Huntingt

rriest features of an Andrews spread, Mrs. Forest was looking quite unconscious of any rude intentions and Mr. Hu

, some daintily tied with ribbon, others knotted about by the coarsest twine. These were of all shapes a

was to be auctioned off for beans distri

as she doled the smooth little white objects in

everal articles for one's ten beans-in which case, of cou

in brown wrapping paper, which he laid among the other flaunting offerings. Few of the girls noticed his action in the confusion of finding good floor space to sit on, but Peggy saw his

and pretty satin gowns, raised flushed faces toward the auctioneer as she lif

young girl

ight and fai

he spangled ribbon that went around it made it seem t

outed Florence

nt-white-beans-for this gorgeous and inspiring package, with goodness knows what all inside. Now come, friends, hasn't som

Daphne Damon from th

he proceedings, rather than the floor, woke up to sudden interest in disposing of her beans, and ignoring

the prize was knocked down to "that lady over there,

little vanity mirror,-but, oh, for the faith that you can put in advertisements,-when she

announcing the next article. This w

n this," Katherine read out impr

and opened it to find the sole of a worn

know how to make his offering as attractive as theirs. She was sure nobody would bid their last few beans on that when there were still several delectable looking bundles on the table. And, to make it worse, the inscription that was supposed to extol its virtues merely said, "This isn't

ington's eyes upon her with a curiously bright gaze. Something about the anticipation in his look reassured he

of our party," Florence said, peering ov

something-possibly even something interesting-inside. Gingerly she lifted the cover and drew out two slips of paper fol

ying, "For the new gymnasium." The other was a check for one hundred dollars made out to bearer, with

him that-why, why-Mr. Huntington was rich, fabulously and wonderfully and generously rich, and they had never known. Through her mind flitted the memory of his remark about the

ow strange everything is all of a sudden! I think, perhaps, I'm asleep or something, t

voice that was wide awake enough, so she kne

l. The school would never have had it-that is from me-on any other score. The small check is Peggy's own-and I waited until I saw your eyes

um" and now she jumped from her chair and made her

tful, how perfectly splendid," she cried, reading th

somewhat shortly and wal

e able to give something to Andrews that

oks,-how very glad she would be to come back to it some day and see the neat little gymnasium, with her name on the building, full o

inking," she murmured, looking grateful

I myself could, after a day like

undertone while the sense of homelikeness and good feeling grew and grew and struck deeply into each heart, brin

ixty different houses were suddenly mentally erected within that house. Ever and ever so many b

nt of her dear, real, understanding presence. And from under sixty pairs of lashes bright tear drops were fought back, while each girl, wrapped up in her own heart-ache, believed that she alone w

ss the same station in life are placed in exactly similar environment. The same tears, the same laughter, the same desires and the same satisfactions all girls who have gone away to school have felt in varying degree. An

ather up her flock she gave a great sigh and spoke with a curious ge

time we have had this season. And we are very grateful for his most kind gift to Andrews. If he would care to come to our school mus

ntly to the hall, where they slipped into great fur co

d troops and troops of them went down the whitene

d drew her back from the crowds of those preparing to go home, and when the rest had gone the two girls went back to the fire and sat down in great ar

o tell her about his daughter and the grandson that would be older than she. It was daring, but she felt very strongly that someway Mr. Huntington wanted t

t chairs and leaned forward, their chins in their hands, while the whimsical light of th

" said Mr. Huntington, and in a quiet, haltin