Dorothy Dale in the City

cousins Ned and Nat-were waiting for her important advice about a lot of Christmas things, and she had ridden

d the nurses busy in an outer hall, fixing up the Christmas tree that Mr. Sanders had insis

the child sick, the nurses were placing on the tree, waiting to su

, that he added to the hospital donation a personal check for Mrs. Tripp and her daughter. The check was placed in a t

they did not insist upon her taking her proper position in the social world. It must be admitted that the kind old major believed that more pleasure could be gotten out of Dorothy's choi

er own childish way, told him all about it. He listened with pardonable pride, and then told Dorothy that too much charity is bad for the health of g

. Step ladders knocked each other down, as the enthusiastic boys tried to shift more than one to exactly the same spot in the long library. Kitchen chairs toppled over just as Doroth

he beamed ceiling, not in the usual "chandelier-corner" fashio

arcely be conceived. To say that Dorothy had invented it would not do justice to Mabel,

f there is one thing I have longed for all

for the middle of the ro

s not going to be hanged-she'll be hung f

l never get done," Dorothy remin

and dark, there are more things to happen than would fill

s are picturesque in a kitchen, bu

ens about his neck. "Cut out the laundry, ma would not pay my little red

e lover's knot of the end of her long rope of green that Nat

d, jumping up and placin

cried. "I me

any way?" asked Ted. "Do

p, and shook themselves loose from the stickery h

d Ned, dramatically, "

s finished," Dorothy objected. "Do you

, for the housemaids at the Cedars were not

l did not desert either, but before the girls realized it, the boys had run off-to

pose they are up

hurry. What do you say if we follow them? It is not

made their way along the white road, almost in the shadow of three jol

!" Dorothy exclaimed. "The sev

und, and she clutched Dorothy's arm nervousl

whispered, presently. "But th

by name. He was younger than the others, and had the repu

ding is to be at the haunted

, "you do not mean to say

bel, "but you know t

laugh, "we have to creep along now. Loo

h through the hemlock trees. These trees were heavy with the snow that they seemed to love, for other sorts of fo

rk!" demurred

d Dorothy. "I do beli

ryone being busy with Christmas

are going in there for?"

orothy. "When one starts out spying on boys sh

l pointed to a figure making trac

hristmas-Imps. Such make-ups!" Dorothy finished, as she beheld the boys, in

d the old-fashioned school dunce wore. Nat was "cute" in somebody's short skirt and a shorter jacket. He wore also a worsted cap that was r

e as the procession passed. The boys see

may follow. I knew they w

o had almost giggled disastrously as th

very quickly, and it was not so easy for the girls to keep

y of wealth. But there had been a sad tragedy there, and after that it had been said that ghosts held sway at the place. It had been deserted for two years, but now, with

six, and people had kept the station agent busy all

People fluttered around and through the long French windows; the young folks, boys and girls, bein

part of the library, just off the wide hall that ran through the middle of the place. Dorothy and Mabel had taken refuge in one of the many odd corners of the big, old

he latter saw Nat boost Ned up the side of the porch column, and Ted followed nimbly. In tense silence the girls lis

e chimney!" declared D

irmed Mabel, leaning f

, what of

use the one on the other side of th