e are voting you."

Jack learned, of course, of the part Rosemary had played in this
train of events and though he made several cutting remarks about the
inability of girls to hold their tongues, he gradually, if
grudgingly, admitted that "it might have been worse."

"Norman Cox and Eustice Gray and the others are tickled pink with
the $25," he confided. "They think you are great. And I suppose you
couldn't help spilling the beans to Mr. Jordan."

But Rosemary was content to do without paeans of praise.

The famous "January thaw" filled the streets with slush a few weeks
later and made indoors a pleasant place to stay. Fannie Mears caught
a heavy cold and was out of school a week and Nina Edmonds began to
seek the society of Rosemary, whom she had rather neglected.

"You never come to my house any more," said Nina, one noon period.
"Come home with me this afternoon, won't you, dear?"

Rosemary was acutely conscious of her brother's wishes concerning
Nina, and she knew that he preferred she did not go often to the
Edmonds' handsome home.

"Well at least come shopping with me," suggested Nina, noticing the
younger girl's hesitation. "Go uptown after school this afternoon,
please, Rosemary?"

"Aunt Trudy expects me home," said Rosemary doubtfully.

"For goodness sake, do you have to go straight home from school
every day?" demanded Nina fretfully. "Why any one would think you
were Shirley's age! Can't Sarah tell your aunt you won't be home?"

"I suppose she could," admitted Rosemary. "All right, Nina, I'll go
with you."

Sarah accepted the message reluctantly after school that afternoon
and she and Shirley went home while Nina and Rosemary hurried off up
town. Nina's shopping manners were remarkably like her mother's and
she was respectfully treated in all the shops. Eastshore had no very
large stores, but the merchandise was of the better grade in even
the tiny places, the lack of variety, as in many small towns, being
balanced by uniform quality.

"Charge it," said Nina airily, flitting from shop to shop and
counter to counter.

It was dark, almost before they knew it and though Nina was
insistent that Rosemary come home to dinner with her, Rosemary
refused. No, she must go home.

"Well, here's your parcel," said Nina good-naturedly. "You'll love
'em when you get used to them and you look perfectly stunning in
them, you know you do."

Rosemary tucked the brown paper package under her arm and fled up