Molly Brown's College Friends

got no husband an' baby children?" Mil

erself and all her belongings into the guest-chamber. Her mother had at first objected,

ands come alon

one of th

Dodo marry you when

Dodo would make a d

mean to you. He's got more dispos

stitches as she neatly turned the heel of the grey sock s

d a little teensy weensy bit tal

t Dodo wi

. I'm gonter ask her kin she shrink you up no bigger'n Dodo an' then won't you be cunning? You can look jes' like you look now only teensy weensy little. Your little feet'll be so long, not great big ones

o. You won't trust your doll to Dodo, and

e to stretch you some. She done

ay to taking a

's what Kizzie, our cook

e Dodo out in

put my dol

ation of happiness. He and the doll were tucked safely in. Katy, who had been longing for the time to

l we walk?"

gonter set sail in some day. He say he gonter go way out in the middle of the lake where th' ain't no little girls with curls to come t

e picture that arose in her mind's eye. It was their Junior year and Judy had gone off in a fit of jealousy and rage, and when she came to herself she was out in the middle of the

baby, had slipped from his sitting posture and lay flat on his back. He had the s

ance. "Let's camp out here, darling. I brought

doll bab

ce clean sand. Don't go

d been built for a boat-landing. The sand was fine and white, a most delect

tle she contemplated building. The sock grew under the girl's skillful fingers while her thoughts were miles away

ers!" cried Mildred, rushing to Nance with a switch of w

a litt

was sil

down in

ver ra

e was alw

ver wa

was a Pus

o you thin

h you that nice verse so you

n so short a time that her teacher marv

he pussy-willows to take back to Mother, but you might get your little tootsies wet if you go too close t

me time! The girl's thoughts were centered on herself. What was she to do with her life? The desire to teach had left her with the years she had spent nursing her father and mother. United States was

to the front with him. There was work in the hospitals in France for others besides trained nurses, lots of work! Cooking, cleaning, sewing, peeling potatoes, scrubbing floors-nothing was too menial for her. It would have been sweet to work near Andy, shoulder to shoulder in spirit

am broke on t

kin'! I'm

ed Nance, jump

from behind her. "You had better look after your other ch

hing for the willow catkins. His position was precarious,

grey figure with sandy hair who ran towards the water's edge, skinning out of his coat and vest as he ran a

the pretty blue boat that her father considered such a safe refuge from ti

lf. "She's gonter holler out: 'M-i-i-l-dred! Where you Mi-ldr

firmly on the bow of the boat that was

ong enough to step up to the

ame when Mildred must choose between land and water. She decided to stay on shore and with a mighty effort jerked her little foot from the unsteady blue boat. Three years going on four is not a period of great equilibrium. Fate took matters out of Mildred's hands and kersplash! she went in the cold waters of the lake. It was not

ve saved himself the trouble of taking off his coat and shoes, but he had seen the child as she fell in the water and did not know

have looked after

red, "an' I was a-keepin' keer of myself. 'S

who may

me of Molly's mother, which was Carmichael,

ng man as he picked up his discarded

Aunt

opped little Mildred. "And you s

ps her busy mos

eantime, poor Nance had shoved her little husband back in the car

n come back on her horizon at that moment when she was neglecting her duty? But then, she reflected, if he had not come back at that psychological moment either Mildred would have drowned or Dodo broken his neck. She could not have rescued both of them at once. Indeed, both of them might have been killed! The fact

for him or she would have felt that at her father's death he was the person to whom she must turn instead of that Dr. Flint. As far as he could see, there was no reason under Heaven why Nance should not have married him immediately. He knew nothing of her mother's determination to give up her public life nor of

the water and almost fall out of baby carriages! But where is the-the-cad?" was what Andy was thinking

u promised not to go

o be naughty. I knowed I might get my feet wet down by the edge so I walked on the p

t the amusing child. The laug

o'erspread their countenances that a day's fishi

the carriage-it is warm t

wrapped in my coat.

you might

never catch c

was nothing to do but turn and wheel t

o let such an accident happen to my charg

r husband,

bering only too well what her thoughts h

I

e about him," s

that Andy was speaking of Dodo, o

rides with Mildred clasped closely in his arms, while Na

t to call you," s

Why not? My name is still Nanc

s he wouldn

ho

band! Is

ou!" and Nance grabbed Dodo from his carriage and ran up t

dy under his breath. "I am going

as in Wellington? They had had a long talk and she had told him news of all their old friends. Molly and Edwin had been mentioned again and again but the fact that they had a guest had been kept

appens to be a son, this worthy mother had adjusted herself more into the relationship of an elder brother to Andy. There were few if any subjects they could not discuss together, but some

has come up, but if they are really meant for one another it will be exp

that they might meet by chance, just as they had. Of course she had not stipulated in her prayers that Andy should mistake Nance for the Greens' nurse and rep