into me any time you feel like it," invited Jack, steering her
toward the drug-store steps and the soda fountain therein. "I'm
always ready to listen and if you want any punching done, just let
me know."

But the next hard day, when everything seemed to go wrong from
breakfast time to the dinner hour, no Jack was at hand to listen to
Rosemary's recital. He had gone away for a week's fishing trip with
his father.

The day started with a pitched battle between Winnie and Sarah after
breakfast, over the question of feeding the cat the top of the milk.
Sarah declared passionately that she would starve herself before she
would feed a defenseless cat skimmed milk and Winnie, with equal
fervor, had announced that when she saw herself handing over the top
milk to a cat they might send her to the insane asylum without
delay.

"You're a mean, hateful woman!" shouted Sarah, rushing out of the
kitchen and shutting the door on Shirley's finger which was too near
the crack.

Shirley screamed with pain and after Rosemary had bathed the poor
bruised finger and Winnie had comforted the child with a cookie,
Aunt Trudy declared that her nerves were too unstrung to spend the
day in such a house and that she would go to town and shop.

"That means I'll have to answer the telephone while I'm practising,"
grumbled Rosemary. "Oh, dear, how selfish everyone is! I've a good
mind to sit down and read on the porch while it is shady. All the
others do as they please and I will, too."

Her book was interesting, and there was a blessed freedom from
interruptions. Rosemary was amazed when Sarah, warm and dirty from
grubbing in the rabbit house appeared at the foot of the steps and
demanded to know if lunch was ready.

"Oh well, I'll make the beds and pick up after lunch," said Rosemary
to herself.

Shirley assumed the airs of an invalid at the lunch table and
secured large portions of meat and dessert as a concession to her
hurt finger. She ignored the vegetables entirely though the meal was
supposed to be her dinner and Doctor Hugh had given orders that she
was to be fed after certain rules.

Winnie was put out because the iceman was late and her dinner
supplies threatened to spoil and Sarah insisted on the hot-water
heater being lit so that she might have hot water in which to wash
her cat. The wrangle with Winnie over this continued throughout the
meal.

"I don't care whether you wash the cat or not," said Rosemary, when
Sarah foll