The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor

he lay there a moment, trying to think what pleasant thing was about to happen. Then she remembered that it was the da

seen him. It was three years ago, down by the beehives, and she had had no idea he was going away until he came to the Wigwam to bid them all good-by. And Joyce and Lloyd were away, so he had left a message for them with her. She thought it queer then, and she had wondered many times since why his farewell to the gir

esson. Well, to be sure, she was only eleven then, and she had almost cried when she begged him not to go away, and insisted on know

ped and kissed her hastily on both cheeks, and started off down the road, with her watching him through a blur of tears, because it seemed that all the good times in the world

dden farewell by a brave knight errant. Although she was burning with curiosity when she delivered the message about the turquoises and Alaka, and wondered why Lloyd and Joyce exchanged such meaning glances, something kept her from asking questions, and she had gone on wondering

he had forgotten her and the way he had romped with her at the Wigwam, and how he had saved her life the time the Indian chased her. Being the bridegroom's brother and best man at the wedding, he would scarcely notice her. Or, if he did

rget-me-nots would be suggestive. Then she remembered her mother's remark about that shade of blue being a trying one for her to wear. That recalled Mom Beck's prescription for beautifying the complexion. Nothing, so the ol

ants' quarters, and the sun was streaming red across the lawn. But over by the side of the house, in the shadow of Hero's monument, the

Cousin Kate's Christmas gift; a mixture of gay colors and a pattern of Japanese fans, and so beautiful in Mary's eyes that she had often bemoaned the fac

Stepping out of one of the long French windows that opened on the side porch, Mary ran across to the monument. It was a glorious June morning. The myriads of roses wer

the monument. Then stooping, Mary passed her hands over the daisies and clover, catching up th

come, fr

ake me whi

n the wet grass, repeating the rhyme again with her eyes shut and in the singsong chant in which she often intoned things, without giving heed t

! What are you up

on, for striding along the path toward her was Bob Moore, cutting across lots from Oaklea. He w

arrassment left her speechless. Then, remembering the way she was dressed, she sank down on the g

his question. The rhyme she had been

e your innings when you were a grandmother; that you didn't care

putting her arm across her face to hide it. "It's because I care so much that I'm always doing

in the gay kimono, thinking he had never seen such a picture of woe. He could not help smiling, but h

intruding, but I didn't suppose any one was up. I just came over to say that some business for grandfather will take me to town on the earliest train, so that I can't be on hand when the best

n. She waited till she was sure Rob was out of sight, and then, springing up, ran for the shelter of her room. As she stole up the stairs, her eyes were so blinded with tears that she

open door she caught sight of the woebegone little figure slipping past, and the next instant Mary found herself in the white and gold room with Betty's arm around her, and her tearful fac

r mouth did dimple a little, until she realized that to Mary's supersensi

o look Mister Rob in the face again. I'd rather go

d you say you wished you could be just like Lloyd. Do you know, her greatest charm to me is that she never seems to think of the impression she is making on other people. Now, if she should decide

ound out your one fault. It isn't very big yet, but, if you

a cloud befo

r better q

riends to be pleased with her that she couldn't be natural. If anybody glanced in the direction of her head, she immediately began to fix her side-combs, or if they seemed to be noticing her dress, she felt her belt and looked down at herself to see if anything was wrong. Half the time they were not looking at her at all,

u have not, don't you see that your very actions would remind him of what you want him to forget? But if when you me

hat she understood, but still proc

l it will seem bigger than any of the good times you have had. In the dear old garden at Warwick Hall there is a sun-dial that has this inscription on

and when things go wrong and I get discouraged over my mistakes, I glance through them and find that there's lots more to laugh over than cry about, and I'm going to recommend the same course to you. Godmother g

at Lloyd's door to awaken her, and Betty realized with a start that she had been reading over an hour. Her letters were unanswered, but she had accomplished something better. Mary's tears had dried, as she listened to these accounts of their frolics at boarding-school and their adve

of the girls gave me this last Christmas," she said. "I never have used it, because I want to keep my journals u

delight, throwing her arms around Betty's neck with

"so that it will always recall my sermon. I've tal

r kiss as Betty handed her the book. On the fly-leaf she had written her own nam

k the hours

of the morning. Probably she would not have gone into details and copied whole conversations if she had not heard the extracts from Betty's diaries. Betty was

with the coachman. And Mrs. Crisp cut down nearly a whole bushful of bridal wreath to decorate Eugenia's room with. When we got back May Lily had just finished putting up fresh curtains in the room, almost as fine and thin as frost-work. The furniture is a

and Joyce and I hung out of the windows and watched for them, and Betty and Joyce talked about the other time Eugenia came, when they walked up and down under the locusts waiting fo

they outgrow their snippiness and snobbishness. Then she told us a lot we had never heard about the school Eugenia went to in Germ

old Eliot who was here before), that I thought for a moment maybe she was as stuck-up as ever. But when she saw her old room, she acted just like a happy little girl, ready to cry and laugh in the same breath because everything had been made so beautiful for her coming. While she was still in the midst of admiring everything, she sat right down on the bed and tore off her gloves, s

of salad that I know how to make. Oh, I just can't wait to tell you about our little love of a house! It's all furnished and waiting for us. Papa a

lsior. When we were through, the bed and the chairs and mantel and two extra tables that had been brought in were piled with the most beautiful things I ever saw. I never dreamed there were such lovely things in the world as some of the beaten silver and hand-painted ch

xclaiming over how lovely everything was, she was telling us how the house was furnished, and what a splendid fellow Stuart is, and how wild she is for us to kn

because it was in Venice he had proposed to her. After she had shown it to us, she put it in the centre of her dressing-table, with the white flowers all arou

t awhile. So have the other girls. But I couldn't sleep. The d

but with a foresight which prompted her to be ready for any occasion, she decided to dress first for the evening. Tiptoeing around the room, she brushed her hair in the new way Mom Beck had taught her, and, taking out her prettiest white dress, proceeded t

ones echoing through the hall sent Lloyd bouncing up from her couch, her hair falling over

h o'clock, and Phil's train due in nine minutes. The carriage is at the doah and none

alked so much about the grand welcome the best man was to receive on his entrance to the Valley

couldn't dress and get to the station in time to save ou' lives." Then her glance f

s Phil as well as we do. Run on, that's a deah! Don't stop for a hat! You won't n

il would not recognize her that she wondered if she ought not to begin by introducing herself. She pictured the scene in her mind as they rolled along, unconscious that she was smiling and bowing into empty air, as she rehearse

he self-conscious girl at school brought a distressed pucker between her eyebrows. But the next instant she forgot all about it. She forgot the princess-like way in which she was to step from the carriage, the dignity with which she was to offer Phil her hand, and the words wherewith she was to welcome him. She had caught sight of a wide-brimmed gray hat over the heads of the crowd, and a face, bronzed and

. "Why, it's like getting back home to see you! And

the people they passed, and how lovely everything was in the Valley, till he said, with a twinkle in his eyes: "You're the same enthusiastic little soul that you used to be, aren't you? I hope you'll speak as good a w

still was. She introduced him to Mrs. Sherman with a proud, grandmotherly air of proprietorship, and took a personal pride in every compli

t for them to come in, for she wanted to see what impression he would make on Rob, whom she had been thinking lately was the nicest man she ever met. She wanted to see th

ty had not been on the porch also, she would have found it hard to stay and face him. But she wanted to show Betty that she had tak

they heard Lloyd coming through the hall. She was

w left on the da

rain left in

seven times o

es one ar

t on the daisies and clover-'" Rob turned t

but Joyce, turning suddenly, saw to her horror that Mary had made

t Betty interrupted with a laugh. "Let her alone,

cause he happened to mention the subject. If I had done that, he never would have said to Betty afterward that