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Show y PRUDENCE SAYS SO If By ETHEL HUESTON The Story of a Houseful of Loveable Girls Copyright Bobb-Merrill Co. daughter and she'd osk mtHH I told her I didn't care to, but salirB you twins would enjoy it. She'll be here In the car for you at seven forty-five." forty-five." "I won't go," cried Carol. "I won't go near their old church. You can't make me." Lark shook her head in corroborative corrobora-tive denial. "Well, that's queer." Fairy frowned, then she smiled. Suddenly, to the tempest-tossed and troubled twins, the tall, splendid Fairy seemed a haven of refuge. And with a cry of relief and shame and fear, the twins plunged upon her and told her their little tale. "You punish us this time, Fairy," begged Carol. "We we don't want the rest of the family to know. We'll take any kind of punishment, but keep it dark, won't you?" "I'll talk it over with Prudence," said Fairy. "But I think we'll have to tell the family." Lark moved her feet restlessly. "Well, you needn't tell Connie," she said. "Having the laugh come back on us is the very meanest kind of a punishment." THE TWINS READ MRS. EDDY'S "SCIENCE AND HEALTH" AND THEIR BEHAVIOR IN CONSEQUENCE UPSETS THE THE QUIET OF THE METHODIST HOUSEHOLD. Synopsis. The story opens in the home of the Rev. Mr. Starr where Prudence, his eldest daughter and feminine head of the house, ' consisting of her father, herself, her sister Fairy, the twins Carol and Lark and Connie, the youngest, are awaiting the arrival of their aunt Grace. Liveliness of the smaller members of the family results disastrously dis-astrously for their appearance. came back. Prudence was alone on the porch. "Where are the twins?" asked Fairy softly. "Upstairs," was the whispered reply. "Well?" Then Fairy spoke more loudly, confident confi-dent that the twins, in their upstairs room, could hear every word she said. "Come upstairs, Prue. I want to talk this over with you alone." And then she whispered, "Now, you Just take your cue from me, and do as I say. The little sinners! We'll teach them to be so funny !" In their own room she carefully closed the door and smiled, as she noted the creakine of the closet door CHAPTER II Continued. 2 Prudence watched them with painful solicitude. Her years of mothering had given her an almost supernatural intuition as to causes and effects. On Wednesday morning Mr. Starr bade his family goodby and set out on a tour of Epworth league conventions. He was to be away from home until the end of the following week. A prospective Presbyterian theologian had been selected from the college to fill his pulpit on the Sabbath. At ten o'clock the trnin carried their father off In the direction of Burlington, Burling-ton, and at .eleven o'clock the twins returned to the parsonage. Prudence, Fairy and Aunt Grace sat sewing on the side porch as they cut across the parsonage lawn, their feet crinkling pleasantly through the drift of autumn leaves the wind had piled beneath the trees. "We're out of potatoes, twins," said Prudence, as they drew near. "You'll have to dig some before dinner." For one instant their complacent features fea-tures clouded. Prudence looked up es-pectantly, es-pectantly, sure of a break in their serene se-rene placidity. One doubtful second, then "Certainly, Prudence," said Carol brightly. And Lark added genially, "We'd better bet-ter fill the box, I guess so we'll have enough for the rest of the week." And singing a light but unharmonic snatch of song, the twins went in search of basket and hoe. Prudence's brows knitted In anxious frowns and she sighed a few times. "What is the matter, Prue? You look like a rainy Christmas," said Fairy. "It's the twins," was the mournful answer. "The twins !" ejaculated Fairy. "Why, they've acted like angels lately." "That's it! That's just it. When the twins act like angels I get uneasy right away. The better they act, the more suspicious I feel." "What have they been doing?" "Nothing ! Not a thing ! That's why I'm worried. It must be something some-thing terrible !" Fairy laughed and returned to her embroidery. Aunt Grace smiled and Another pause, a little more perceptible percep-tible this time. "Science and Health," Carol said lit last, quite distinctly. "Science and Health," Prudence repeated, re-peated, in a puzzled tone. "Is it a doctor book?" "Why something of the sort yes," said Carol dubiously. " 'Science and Health?' 'Science and Health,' " mused Fairy. "You don't mean that Christian Science book, do you? You know what I mean, Prudence Pru-dence Mary Baker Eddy's book 'Science 'Sci-ence and Health' that's the name of it. That's not what you twins are devouring de-vouring so Ravenously, Is it?" Carol answered with manifest reluctance, re-luctance, glancing nervously at Prudence, Pru-dence, "Y-yes that's what It is." Ominous silence greeted this admission. admis-sion. A slow red flush mantled the twins' cheeks. Aunt Grace's eyes twinkled a little, although her face was grave. Fairy looked surprised. Prudence looked dumfounded. "What are you reading that for?" "Why It's very interesting," explained ex-plained Lark, coming to Carol's rescue. "Of course we don't believe it yet. But there are some good things in it it's very deep. But some of the ideas are very fine, and er uplifting, you know." Prudence looked most miserable. "But twins, do you think minister's daughters ought to read things like that?" "Why, Prudence, I think minister's daughters ought to be well informed on every subject," declared Lark conscientiously. con-scientiously. "How can we be an influence in-fluence if we don't know anything about things?" Prudence looked at Fairy and her aunt in helpless dismay. This was something entirely new In her experience experi-ence of rearing a family. "I I don't think you ought to read It," she said slowly. "But at the same time what do you think about it, Aunt Grace?" "Why I don't know, Prudence. You know more about rearing twins than I do." Prudence at that moment felt that she knew very little about It, indeed. She turned to Fairy. There was a strange intentness in Fairy's fine eyes as she studied the twins on the floor at her feet. "You aren't thinking of turning Christian Scientists, yourselves, are you?" asked Prudence rather humbly. "Oh, of course, we aren't Scientists, Prudence," was the quick denial. "We don't know anything about it yet, really. But there are lots of very helpful help-ful things in it, and people talk about it so much, and they have made such wonderful cures, you know, and we'd thought we'd just study up a little." "You take the book yourself and read it, Prue," urged Carol hospitably. "You'll see what we mean." Prudence drew back quickly as though the book would sear her fingers. fin-gers. She looked very forlorn. If only her father were at home ten days between be-tween herself and the lifting of responsibility respon-sibility ! "When father comes home " she began. be-gan. And then suddenly Fairy spoke. "I think the twins are right," she said emphatically. "It would be very narrow-minded of us to refuse to look Into a subject as important as this. Let them go on and study It ; we can decide things later." Prudence looked very doubtful, but a warning movement of Fairy's left eyelash the side removed from the twins comforted her. "Well " she said. Fairy looked at them a moment, wondering if, indeed, their punishment had been sufficient. "Well, little twins," she said, "I guess I will take charge of this myself. my-self. Here is your punishment." She Then She Hissed In Prudence's Ear, "Now Cry." stood up again, and looked dow n' at " 1 them with sparkling eyes as they gazed at her expectantly. "We caught on that it was a joke. We knew you were listening in the closet. And Prudence and I acted our little parts to give you one good scare. Who's the laugh on now? Are we square? Supper's ready." And Fairy ran downstairs, laughing, followed by two entirely abashed and humbled twins. , ,,-) CHAPTER 111. How Carol Spoiled the Wedding. A day in June the kind of day that poets have rhymed and lovers have craved since time began. On the side porch of the parsonage, In a wide hammock, ham-mock, lay Aunt Grace, looking languidly lan-guidly through half-closed lids nt the girls beneath her on the step. Prudence, Pru-dence, although her face was all a-dream, bent conscientiously over the bit of linen in her hands. And Fairy, her piquantly bright features clouded with an unwonted frown, crumpled a letter in her hand. "I do think men are the most aggravating ag-gravating things that ever lived," she declared, with annoyance in her voice. The woman in the hammock smiled slightly, and did not speak. Prudence carefully counted ten threads, and solemnly sol-emnly drew one before she voiced her question. "What is he saying now?" "Why, he's still objecting to my having hav-ing dates with the other boys." Fairy's voice was vibrant with grief. "He , does make me wild ! Aunt Grace, you can't imagine. Last fail I mentioned casually that I was sure he wouldn't object to my having lecture course dales I was too hard up to buy a ticket for myself; they cost four dollars, dol-lars, and aren't worth it, either. And what did he do but send me eight dol- . lars to buy two sets of tickets! Then this spring, when the baseball season opened, he sent me Reason tickets to all the games, suggesting that mv flnnn- on the twins' side of the wall. Eavesdropping Eaves-dropping was not included among the cardinal sins in the twins' private decalogue, dec-alogue, when the conversation concerned con-cerned themselves. "Now, Prudence," Fairy began, speaking with an appearance of softness, soft-ness, though she took great pains to turn her face toward the twins' room, and enunciated very clearly Indeed. "I know this will hurt you, as it does me, but we've got to face it fairly. If the twins are convinced that Christian Science is the right kind of religion, we can't stand in their way. I've been reading up a little myself this afternoon, after-noon, and there are some good points in Christian Science. Of course, for our sakes and father's, the twins will be generous and deny they are Scientists. Scien-tists. But at heart, they are. I saw it this afternoon. And you and I, Prudence, Pru-dence, must stand together and back them up. They'll have to leave the church. I think we'll have them go before be-fore the deacons next Sunday while father is gone then he will be spared the pain of it. We must make it as easy for them as we can. They'll probably prob-ably dismiss them I don't suppose they'll give them letters. But it must be all over before papa comes back." Then she hissed in Prudence's ear, "Now cry." Prudence obediently began sniffling and gulping, and Fairy rushed to her and threw her arms about her, sobbing in heartbroken accents, "There, there, Prue, I know I felt Just the same about It. But we can't stand between the twins and what they think is right. We daren't have that on our consciences." con-sciences." The two wept together, encouraged by the deathlike stillness In the closet on the other side of the wall. Then Fairy said, more calmly, though still sobbing occasionally, "For our sakes, they'll try to deny it. But we can't let the little darlings sacrifice themselves. They've got to have a chance to try their new belief. Weil just be firm and insist that they stand on their rights. We won't mention it to them for a day or two we'll fix it up with the elders first. And we must surely get it over by Sunday. Poor old father and how he loves Oh, Prudence, dear, don't cry so." Prudence caught her cue again and began weeping afresh. They soothed and caressed and comforted each other for a while, and then went downstairs down-stairs to finish getting supper. In the meantime the shocked and horrified twins in the closet of their own room, were clutching each other with passionate Intensity. When their sisters had gone downstairs they stared at each other in agony. "They they wo-won't p-p-put us out of the ch-ch-church," gasped Carol. "They will," stammered Lark. "You know what Prudence is ! She'd put the whole church out if she thought it would do us any good. Oh, Carol. I told you it was wicked to joke about religion." This unexpected reproach on the part of her twin brought Carol back to earth. "I didn't read a word of it, did you? I I Just thought it would bo such a good Joke on Prudence with father out of town." The good joke was anything but funny now. "They can't make us be Scientists if we don't want to," protested Lark. "They can't. Why, I wouldn't be anything any-thing but a Methodist for anything on earth. I'd die first. Weil Just go and tell Prudence it was a Joke Prudence Ifs the Twins," Was the Mournful Answer. clal stringency could not be pleaded as excuse. Ever since he went to Chicago last fall we've been fighting because the boys bring me home from parties. He wants me to patter along by myself my-self like a like like a hen!" Fairy said "hen" very crossly! "It's a shame," said Prudence sympathetically. sym-pathetically. "That's Just what It Is. You wouldn't say a word to his taking tak-ing girls home from things, would you?" They are about to have a wedding wed-ding in the Starr household, as you know, but Carol effectually spoils all plans and makes postponement post-ponement necessary. Tough luck for Prudence. (TO BE CONTINUED ,! began plying her needles once more. But Prudence still looked troubled, and sighed often. There was no apparent ground for her alarm. The twins came back with the potatoes, peeled some for luncheon, and set the table, their faces still bright and smiling. In the afternoon they joined the little circle on the porch, but not to sew. They took a book, and lay down on a rug with the book before them, reading together. Evidently they were all absorbed. Prudence, In spite of her devotion to the embroidering of large S's on assorted as-sorted pieces of linen, never forgot the twins for a moment. "What are you reading?" she asked at last aimlessly, her only desire to be reassured by the sound of their voices. There was an almost imperceptible pause. Then Carol answered her chin was in her palms, which may have accounted for the mumbling of the words. "Scianceanealth." "What?" "Of course, Prudence, we know It would nearly break father's heart for us to go back on our own church but don't you think If folks become truly convinced that Christian Science Is the true and good religion, they ought to stand by It and suffer Just like the martyrs of old?" suggested Lark and the suggestion brought the doubt-clouds doubt-clouds thick about Prudence's head once more. "We may not be convinced, of course, added Carol, "but there is something rather assuring about It." "Oh, twins," Prudence cried earnestly, earnest-ly, but stopped as she caught again the slight suggestive movement of Fairy's left eyelash. "Well, let It go for this afternoon." she said, her eyes intent on Fairy's face, "I must think It over." The twins, with apparent relish, returned re-turned to their perusal of the book. Fairy rose almost immediately and went Into the house, coming back a moment later with her hat and gloves. "I'm going for a stroll, Prue," she said. "I'll be back In time for supper." It was two hours later when Fairy is always reasonable. She won't " "She'll punish us, and it'll be such a Joke on us, Larkle. Even Connieil laugh." They squirmed together, wretchedly, at that. "It It was a good Joke while It lasted," last-ed," said Carol, with a very faint shadow of a smile. "Don't you remember re-member how Prudence gasped? She kept her mouth open for five minutes !" "It's still a Joke," added Lark gloomily, gloom-ily, "but it's on us." "They can't put us out of the church !" "I don't know. Like as not they'll say we'd be a bad influence among the members." "Twins !" The call outside their door sounded like the trump of doom to the conscience-smitten twins, and they clutched each other, startled, crying out. Then, sheepishly, they stepped out of the closet to find Fairy regarding regard-ing them quizzically from the doorway. She repressed a smile with difficulty, as she said quietly. "I was just talking to Mrs. Mains |