on even more than she did herself.

"I don't see why it couldn't have been one of us big lubbers of boys
instead of her," he grumbled to his mother. "She seems to be made to
run and dance and play--almost to fly like a bird."

"It's the Lord's will," returned Mrs. Bonner with a sigh.

"Umph! I don't know! When doctors fail to cure a disease, it seems
pesky mean to blame it on the Lord! If we were only rich enough, I bet
we could find some clever doctor who could make her O.K.! Why couldn't
it have been a rich girl instead of her?"

"Oh, Hugh! That is wrong! Why need it be any poor little creature?"
said the mother, who thought to herself that in this case money would
indeed be a desirable thing; she never envied the rich except when she
thought of Ivy.

But the boy, with all youth's revolt, hated the seeming injustice and
his resentment often extended to those whose wealth made the difference
so marked.

When Ivy, trying to conceal her own disapproval, spoke of Alene's
joining the Happy-Go-Luckys, Hugh was opposed to it.

"I know just how it will be, and you girls are makin' a big guess when
you take her in," he had warned.

"But she seemed so lonely, and Laura wanted it so much--"

"So did that city chap who used to go with us boys. He looked all
right, but my, nothin' suited him. He laughed at our dug-bait, and
fishin' rods, and our old-fashioned skiff and things, and talked about
his pa's yacht and motor-cars and his ma's diamonds, until we were sick
of 'em all!"

"But Alene is different," replied Ivy, and her brother said no more but
wore a look of "just wait and you'll find out that I told you so," that
was exasperating.

As time passed and he heard nothing but praises of Alene, and saw for
himself her unassuming manners and her evident good will, he was
obliged to confess that she was a good little thing in spite of her
citified dress and her haughty relations; but in this dialogue affair
he thought it too bad that the fortunate little maid, who had
everything else, should stand in Ivy's way.

"I'll give a hint to Laura," he suggested.

"Oh, no, no, Hugh! Don't say a word to anyone! Not for the world!"

"After all, your part is fine. The other is silly stuff--sounds like
some empty-headed thing!"

"Oh, Hugh, it's beautiful! Anyway, I could just enter into part of it!
I'm tired of being tied to crutches and people thinkin', because of
them, one never even wants any foolishness and fu