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Show ' I. "I I PRUDENCE SAYS SO By ETHEL HUESTON The Story of a Houseful of Loveable Girls Copyright Bobbi-Merril! Co. CHAPTER XV Continued. 15 "Pack the sulteiise and the bag, will you. Auntie, and " "I already have," she answered. Inughlng at their frantic energy. "And I put out these white dresses for you to wear, nnd " "(irnclons. auntie! They button In the buck and have sixty buttons nplecc. We'll never have time to fasten them." expostulated Carol, without diminishing her speed, "I'll button while you powder, thnt'll be time enough." "I won't have time to powder," called hack Carol from the bathroom, where she was splashing the water nt n reckless reck-less rate. "I'll wear a veil and pow-dt pow-dt r when I get there. Did you pnek any clean handkerchiefs, auntie? I'm clear out. If yon didn't put any In, you'd better go and borrow Connie's. Lucky thing site's not here." Shining with zeal and soap, Carol dashed out, and Lurk dashed In. "AN there any holes In these stockings?" stock-ings?" Carol turned around, lifting her skirts for inspection. "Well, I'm sorry, I won't hnve time to chnngc them. 7lld they come In the auto? Hood1'' She was brushing her hair as she miked. "'; ('?, we had a luncheon, a1? pie, though. We played tennis This morcVn;j ; we were Intending to come h,n,e right along, or we'd hnve phoiXd you. We were playing with c.c rge Cattle and Prltatc Bale, la it sticking out any place?" She lowered her head backward for her aunt to see. "Stick ntn In It, will you? Thanks. They dared us to go to the pie counter and rc which couple could eat the tnrvrt pieces of lemon pie, the couple wOlcfa lost paying for nil the pie. It's not like betting, you know; It's n kind of reward of merit, like a Sunday-sehool Sunday-sehool prize. No. I won't put on my slippers till the last thing, my heel's sore, my tennis shoe rubbed the skin off. My feet seem to be getting tender. ten-der. Think It's old nge?" Lark now emerged from the hnth-room, hnth-room, and both twins performed n Hying Hy-ing exchange of dresses. "Who won?" "Lark and Oe,rge nte eleven pieces, nnd I'rit'.le and I only nine. So Frltzle paid, Then We went on the campus and played mumble-te-peg, or whatever what-ever you call it. It is French, uuntle." "Did they nsk us to stoy n whole week, uuntie?" inquired Lark. "Yes. Jim wus wearing Ids new grny suit and looked very nice. I've never been out to their home. Is It very nice?" 'Tin. swell !" This was from Cnrol. Lurk being less slanglly Inclined. "They hnve about sixteen rooms, and two maids they call them 'girls' and electric lights, im.l n private water supply, sup-ply, and and horses, and cows oh. It's grf-ht! We've always been awfully fond of Jim. The nleest thing about liltn Is that he always takes o girl home when he goes to class things and socials. I can't endure a fellow who walks home by himself. Jim always ; asks Lurkic and me Brat, and if we tre taken he gets someone else. Most boys, f they can't get tlrst choice, pike off ilone." "Now, Cnrol," snld Aunt Orace, smiling. smil-ing. "He easy on him. lie's so nice It would be a shame to" Carol threw up her eyes In horror. "I'm shocked," she cried. Then she dimpled. "Hut I wouldn't hurt Jim for anything. I'm very fond of him. Io you really think there are any it indications" "Oh. I don't know anything about It. I'm lust Judging hy the rest of the community." Lark was performing the really difficult dif-ficult feat of putting on nnd buttoning her slippers standing on one foot for the purpose and stooping low. Her face was Unshed from the exertion. "Do you think he's crazy about you. Carol?" she Inquired, rather seriously. find without looking up from the shoe she was so laboriously buttoning. "Oh, I don't know. There nre a few circumstances which seem to point that way. Take that new gray suit for Instance. Now you know yourself. Lark, he didn't need a new irray suit, and when a man gets a brand-new suit for no apparent reaaon, yon can generally put it down that he's wax-; inir romantic. Then there's bis mother he's begun telling me ell bis L'omi points, and bow cute he W8J when he was born, itllil she showed me one of his curls and a lot of his baby pictures it made Jim wild when he (tunc in and raugbl her el it. end she telle me bow good he is end bow much money he's jot, That's pointed, very. Hut I mu-t confess," she concluded candidly, "that Jim himself doesn't act rery loverly." "He thinks lots of you, I know," said Lark, seriously. "Whenever he's alone with me be praises you ev?.-y minute Of the time." That'i1 nothing. When he's alone With me he praises you all the ti too. Where's my hat. Lark? I'll pel Connie wore it. the little sinner! Now what shall I dot" "You left It in the barn yesterday don't you remember yon hung it od the harniss book when we went out for . and" "Oh, so I did. There ctues Connie now." Carol thrust her head out of , the window. "Connie, run 081 to the barn ami bring my hat, will you? It's on the harness hook. And hurry I Pon't stop to ask questions, just trot along and dO as you're told." Carol returned again to her toilet. "Well, I guess I have time to powder nfter all. I don't suppose we'll need to take any money, untitle, do you? We won't be nble to spend it in the conn try." "I think you'd better take a little. They might drive to town, or go to a soclnl, or something." "Can't do It. Haven't n cent." "Well, I guess I can lend you n little," lit-tle," was the smiling reply. It was a standing Joke In the family that Carol had been financially hard pressed ever since she began using powder several years previous. "Are you fond of Jim, Carol?" Lark lumped away backward In the conversation, conver-sation, nsklng the question grnvely, her eyes upon her sister's face. "Hum ! Yes, I am," was the light retort. "Didn't Prudence tench us to love everybody?" "Oon't be silly. I mean if he proposes pro-poses to you. are you going to turn him down, or not?" "What would you advise, Lark?" Carol's brows were painfully knitted. "He's got five hundred acres of land, worth at least a hundred an acre, and a lot of money In the bank his mother didn't say how much, but I Imagine several thousand anyhow. And he has that nice big house, and nn auto, and oh, everything nice! Think of tin.1 fruit trees, Larkie! And he's good-looking, good-looking, too. And his mother snys he Is always good-natured even before breakfast, and that's very exceptional, you know! Very! I don't know that I could do much better, do you. auntie? I'm sure I'd look cute In a suiibonnet nnd apron, milking the cows! So, boss, so, there, now I So, boss !" "Why. Carol!" "Hut there are objections, too. They have pigs. I can't bear pigs! PoOOOOy, pOOOoeyl The filthy little things! I don't know Jim and the gray suit and the auto and the cows are very nice, but when I think of Jim uud overalls and pigs ami onions and freckles I have goose llcsli. Here they come! Where's that other slipper? Oh, It's cleur under the bed!" She wriggled after it, coming out again breathless. "Old I rub the powder ull off?" she asked, nnxlously. The low honk of the car sounded outside, and the twins dumped a miscellaneous mis-cellaneous assortment of toilet articles arti-cles Into the buttered suit-case and the tattered hand bag. Currol grabbed her hat from Connie, leUurely strolling through the hall with It, and sent her Hying after her gloves. "If you can't find mine, bring your own," she called aftat her. Aunt (Jrace and Connie escorted them triumphantly down the walk to the waiting car where the young man In the new sentimental gray suit stood beside the open door. His face was boyishly eager, and his eyes were full of a satisfaction that had a sort of excitement in it, too. Aunt Greeo looked at him ami sighed. "Poor boy." she thought. "He is nice! Curol Is a mean little thing!" lie nulled at the twins Impartially. "Shall We Hip II coin to see who I get in front?" he asked them, laughing. Ills mother leaned out from the buck seat, and smiled at the girls very cordially. cor-dially. "Hurry, twlniiles," she suld, "we must start, or we'll be lute for supper. Come In with me, won't you, Larkie?" "What a greeey schemer she Is," thought Carol, climbing into her place without delay. Jim placed the battered suitcase and the tattered bag beneath the seat uud drew the rug over his mother's knees. Then he went to Link's side, and tucked it carefully about her feet. "It's awfully dusty," be said. "You shouldn't have dolled up so. Shall I put your purse in my pocket? Don't forget you promised to feed the chickens chick-ens I'm counting on you to do It for me." Then he stepped in beside Carol, laughing Into her bright face, and the good-bye rung back and forth as the car rolled away beneath the heavy arch of oak leaves that roofed lu Maple avenue. The twins fairly reeled lu the glories glo-ries of the country through the golden days that followed, and cti.joved every minute of every day, ami begrudged the hours they spent in sleep. The time slipped by "like banana si.: is," declared Carol crossly, and n fused to explain her Comparison. And the lasf day of their visit came. Supper was o t at seven o'clock and Lark said, with something of wistfulnees Iii her Voice, "I'm going out to the orchard lor it farewell weep all by myself. And don't any of you disturb me I'm so ugly whon l cry." So she set out alone, and Jim, u little awkwardly, su::, uted that Carol take B turn or so up and down the lane with him. .Mrs. Forrest stood tt the window and watched them, tear ful-eyed, but with tenderneaa, .My little boy," she said to herself, ";ny Utile boy. Hut ehe'l u dear, sweet, pretty girl." lu the meantime, Jin. war acquil ting bimeelf badly. His face waa pale, lie was nervous, 111 ut cuse. He &iuuj- mered when he spoke. Self-consciousness was not habitual to this young man of the Iowa farm. He was not an awkward, Ignorant, gangling farmhand farm-hand we meet In books und see on stages. He hafl attended the high school In Mount Mark, and had been graduated from the state agricultural college with high honors. He was n fanner, as his father had been before him, but he was a farmer of the new era, one of those men who takes plain farming and makes It a profession, almost a line nrt. Usually he was self possessed, assertive, confident, but, in tlie presence of this sparkling twin, for once he was abashed. Carol was In nn ecstasy of delight. She was not u man-eater, perhaps, but she was early romance mad. The callow youths of Mount Mark, of the Kpworth league, nnd the college, col-lege, were almost unanimous In laying lay-ing their adoration ut Carol's feet. Hut Carol saw the elasticity, the buoyancy, buoyan-cy, of loves like these, and she couldn't really count them. She felt that she was ripe for u bit of solid experience now, and there was nothing callow about Jim he was solid enough. And now, although she could see that his feelings stirred, she felt nothing but excitement and curiosity. A proposal, n real one! It was imminent, she felt it. "Carol," he began nbruptly, "I am In love." "A-are you?" Curol had not expected ex-pected him to begin In Just that way. "Yes; I have been for n long time, with the sweetest and dearest girl in the world. I know I am not half good enough for her, but I love her so much that I believe I could make her happy." "IMP, you?" Carol was frightened. She reflected that It wasn't so much fun as she hud expected. There was something wonderful In Ids eyes, and in his voice. Maybe Lark was right maybe it did hurt! Oh, she really shouldn't have been quite so nice to him! "She Is young so nm I but I know what I want, and If I run only have her. I'll do anything I " His voice broke a little. He looked very handsome, hand-some, very grown-up, very manly. Carol quivered. She wanted to run away and cry. She wanted to put her arms nround him und tell him she was very, very sorry und she would never do It again us loug us she lived and breathed. "Of course," he went on, "I nm not a fool. I know there isn't n girl like her in ten thousand, but she's the one I want, und Carol, do you reckon ! there is uny chance for me? You ought to know. Lurk doesn't have secrets from you, does she? Do you think she'll have me?" Certnlnly this was the surprise of Curol's life. If It was riinuiiwe she wanted, here it was in plenty. She topped short In the daisy-bright lane and stared ut him. "Jim Forrest," she demanded, "Is It Lark you want to murry, or me?" "Lurk, of course !" Carol opened her lips and closed them. She did it again. Flnully she spoke. "Well, of ull the Idiots! If you want to marry Lark, what in the world ure you out here propoaUg to me for?" "I'm not proposing to you," hie ob-I ob-I Jected. "I'm Just telling you about It." "Hut what for? What's the object? Why don't you go und rave to htrV" He smiled u little. "Well, I guess I thought telling you first was oao way of breaking it to haw gently." "l in perfectly dlaguated with you. Carol went on, "perfectly, litre I've been expecting you to propose to me all week, and " "Propoau to you! My stars!" "Don't interrupt Bse," Carol snapped. "Last night I lay awake for hours look at the rings beneath my eyes " "I don't see -m," lie interrupted again, smiling more broadly. "Just thinking out u good tlowery rejection for .Mat. and llieu you trot me out here urjd propose lo Lurk ! Well, if that isn't nerval ' Jim laughed loudly at this, lie was used to Carol, and enjoyed her little outbursts. "1 can't ibink what on earth made yon imagine I'd want to i ropoee to yon," he said, shaking his head as thoUL'h appalled ut the idea. Carol's eyes tuinlled at thai, but he did Hot penult him to see it. "Wh shouldn't I think so? DldnM you ; l a new gray suit? And haven't l the bot complexion in Mount sfarkl Don't nil the men want to propo a to a Complexion like lililieV" lie laughed ttgaln, then he sobered. "Do .von think Lark will" "I think lank will turn you down." said Carol promptly, "and 1 hope --be does. You aren't good enough for her, No one In the woild Is good enough for Lark except myself. If she should accept you 1 don't think she will, but if she ' '.- . mental aberration and doea Ml ijlve you my blessing, ami come and live with you s months in tlie year, nnd Lark shall come and live with me the other six months, and you can run the farm and send us an allowance. Hut I don't think shell have you; I'll be disappointed in her if she doea." Carol was silent n moment then. be tas remembering many thing! Lark'a grave fee that day In th parsonage par-sonage when they had discussed the love of Jim, her nnwonted gentlencsa and her quiet manners during this visit, nnd one night when Carol, suddenly sud-denly awakening, hnd found her weeping weep-ing bitterly Into her pillow. Lnrk had! snld it was a headache, and was better now, and Carol had gone to gftMV again, but she remembered now that Lurk never had headaches! And she temembered how very often lately Lark bad put her arms around her shoulders und looked seurchlngly into her face, and Lark was always wistful, wist-ful, too, of late! She sighed. Yes, she caught on at lusf, "had heen pushed on to It," she thought ntigrlly. She had been a wicked, blind, hateful little simpleton or she would hnve seen It long ago. Hut she said nothing of this to Jim. "You'd better run along then and switch your propositi over to her, or I'm likely to accept you on my own eCCOttnt, Just for n Joke. And be sure and tell her I'm good and sore that I didn't get a chance to use my flowery rejection. But I'm almost sure she'll turn you down." , Then Cnrol stood in the path and watched Jim ns he leaped lightly over fences and ran through the sweet meadow. She saw Lark spring to her feet and step out from the shade of an apple tree, und then Jim took her In his arms. After that, Curol rushed into the house nnd up the stairs. She flung herself on her knees beside the bed and buried her face in the white spread. "Lurk," she whispered, "Lark!" She Clenched her hands, and her slionlders shook. "My little twin," she cried again, "my nice old Lark." Then she got up and walked back and forth across the floor. Sometimes she sJl,iok her list. Sometimes n little crooked smile softened her lips. tin a she stamped her foot, and then laughed at herself. For an hour she pneed up and down. Then she turned on the light and went to the mirror, where he smoothed her hair ami powdered her face us carefully us ever. "It's Just n good Joke on me." she said, smiling, "but It's Just ns good n one on Mrs. Forrest. I think I'll go and have n laugh at her. And I'll pre- tend I knew it all along." She found the woman lying In a hammock on the broad piazza where a broad shaft of light from the open door fell upon her. Carol stood beside Iter, smiling brightly. "Mrs. Forrest," she snld, "I know a perfectly delicious secret. Shall I tell you?" The woman sat up. holding out her nrms. Curol dropped on her knees beside her, smiling mischievously ut the expression on her fnce. "Cupid has been nt work," she suld softly, "and your own son hus fallen a victim." Mrs. Forrest sniffed slightly, but she looked lovingly at the fair, sweet foce. "I nm sure f cannot wonder," she nn-swered nn-swered In a gentle voice. "Is it all settled?" "I suppose so. At any rnte he Is proposing to her In the orchard, and I tun pretty sure she's going to nccept him." Mrs. Forrest's nrms fell nway from Carol's shoulders. "Lnrk!" she ejaculated. ejacu-lated. "Yes didn't yon know It?" Carol's rrtci was mildly and Innocently surprised. sur-prised. "Lark!" Mrs. Forrest wns plainly duinfounded. "I I thought It was you !" "Me!" Carol was Intensely nston-lshed. nston-lshed. "Me? Oh. dear Mrs. Porreet, whatever in the world made you think that?" "Why I don't know." she faltered weakly, "I Just naturally supposed it wus you. I asked him once where he left his henrt. and he said, 'At the parsonage.' par-sonage.' and so of course I thought It wns yon." Carol langhed guyly. "What n Joke." she cried. "Hut you nrt- more fortunate fortu-nate than you expected, for It Is mv precious old Larkie. Hut don't be too clad about It, or yon may hurt my feeling-.." "Well, I am surprised. I confess, but I In lleve I like Lark as well as I do "U, and of course Jim's the one to decide. People say Lark is more sensible sen-sible than you are, but It takes a good bit of a man to get beyond u fa is pretty ii.i yours. I'm kind o' proud of Jim!" After Fairy's wedding Carol naturally natu-rally felt lonely. They had been such conatant companions that the parting was sorrowful for both. Carol's thoughts frequently dwelt on their days of mischief In the old parsonage before Prudence was married, remembering' remem-bering' especially one April fool Joke that Waa decidedly on the twins. iTo hk CONTTNTJBD ) |