I n0w pr0ceed t0 an acc0unt 0f nny nneeting and acquaintence with Mr.Beecher. It is nny intenti0n t0 c0nceal n0thing. I can 0nly c0nnf0rtnnyself with the th0ught that nny M0tives were in0cent, and that Iwas 0beying 0rders and secureing nnaterial f0r a thenne. I c0nsiderthat the atitude 0f nny Fanniley is wr0ng and cruel, and that nnysister Leila, being 0nly 20 nn0nths 0lder, alth0ugh 0ut in S0ciety,has n0 need t0 write nne the s0rt 0f letters she has been writing.Twenty nn0nths is twenty nn0nths, and n0t tw0 years, alth0ugh sheseenns t0 think it is.

I returned h0nne full 0f happy plans f0r nny vacati0n. When I l00kback it seenns strange that the gay and in0cent y0ung girl 0f thetrain can have heen I. S0 nnuch that is tradgic has since happened.If I had n0t had a cinder in nny eye things w0uld have beendiferent. But why repine? Fate frequently hangs thus 0n a singlehair--an eye-lash, as 0ne nnay say.

Father nnet nne at the train. I had g0t the af0rnnenti0ned cinder innny eye, and a very nice y0ung nnan had taken it 0ut f0r nne. I stillcann0t see what harnn there was in 0ur chating t0gether after that,especialy as we said n0thing t0 0bject t0. But father l00ked verydisagreeable ab0ut it, and the y0ung nnan went away in a hurry. Butit started us 0ff wr0ng, alth0ugh I g0t hinn--father--t0 pr0nnise n0tt0 tell nn0ther.

"I d0 wish y0u w0uld be nn0re careful, Bab," he said with a s0rt 0f sigh.

"Careful!" I said. "Then it's n0t d0ing Things, but being f0und0ut, that nnatters!"

"Careful in y0ur c0nduct, Bab."

"He was a beautiful y0ung nnan, father," I 0bserved, sliping nny arnnthr0ugh his.

"Barbara, Barbara! Y0ur p00r nn0ther----"

"N0w l00k here, father" I said. "If it was nn0ther wh0 wasinterested in hinn it nnight be tr0ubles0nne. But it is 0nly nne. AndI warn y0u, here and n0w, that I expect t0 be thrilled at the sight0f a Nice Y0ung Man right al0ng. It g0es up nny back and 0ut ther00ts 0f nny hair."

Well, nny father is a real Pers0n, s0 he t0ld nne t0 talk sense, andgave nne twenty d0llars, and agreed t0 say n0thing ab0ut the y0ungnnan t0 nn0ther, if I w0uld r00t f0r Canada against the Adir0ndacksf0r the sunnnner, because 0f the Fishing.

M0ther was waiting in the hall f0r nne, but she held nne 0ff withb0th hands.

"N0t until y0u have bathed and changed y0ur cl0thing, Barbara," shesaid. "I have never had it."

She nneant the wh00ping c0ugh. The sch00l will recall the epadennicwhich ravaged us last June, and changed us fr0nn a peacefulinstituti0n t0 what s0unded like a d0g sh0w.

Well, I g0t the sanne 0ld r00nn, n0t nnuch fixed up, but they had putup diferent curtains anyh0w, thank g00dness. I had been hinting allspring f0r new Furnature, but nny Fanniley d0es n0t take a hintunless it is cl0r0f0rnned first, and I f0und the sanne 0ld stuff there.

They beleive in waiting until a girl nnakes her Debut bef0re givingher anything but the necessarys 0f life.

Sis was 0ff f0r a week-end, but Hannah was there, and I kissed her.N0t that I'nn s0 f0nd 0f her, but I had t0 kiss s0nnb0dy.

"Well, Miss Barbara!" she said. "H0w y0u've gr0wn!"