I detest, it is to be made
conspicuous."

Rosemary flushed angrily, but a sudden shout drowned her reply.

"Car coming!" cried a man on the curb. "Somebody flag the trolley!"

The Interurban cars operated at a high rate of speed, even through
the town, and as the wires started their humming, Rosemary and Nina
glanced up and saw a car bearing down on them.

"You'll be killed!" shrieked Nina, taking a flying leap that landed
her safely across the tracks.

A man shot out of the crowd toward Rosemary and another dashed up
the street in the direction of the trolley, waving his cap. The
motorman put on the brakes, there was an ear-splitting noise as the
wheels locked and slid and the car stopped a good ten feet from the
frightened girl. Meanwhile the man who had come to her rescue had
unbuttoned the straps of the pump and pulled Rosemary free from her
shoe.

"Fool heels!" he commented, while a crowd of the curious surged out
from the curb. "If I had my way no girl should ever own a pair.
Here, I'll get it out for you--"

He tugged at the obstinate pump, the heel gave way and the man fell
back, the shoe in his hand, the heel neatly ripped off.

"Oh, say, I'm sorry!" he stammered. "I didn't mean to tear it
off--here's the heel; I guess a shoemaker can put it on again for
you."

He handed her the pump and the heel and the motorman and conductor
went back to their trolley.

"Thank you very much--it doesn't matter about the heel, it really
doesn't matter at all," said Rosemary incoherently, her one wish
being to get away from this awful crowd.

"If you're looking for the girl who was with you, she's gone,"
volunteered a freckle faced boy. "I saw her streaking it up the
street as soon as the trolley stopped."

Getting home with one heel off and one heel on, was not an easy
matter, but Rosemary managed it. Half an hour later, Doctor Hugh
reading at his desk, was astonished to have two patent leather
pumps flung down on the book before him and to see Rosemary,
crimson-cheeked and stormy-eyed confronting him.

CHAPTER XXIII

SARAH LOSES A MENAGERIE

"You may burn them up or give them away or sell them!" Rosemary
cried. "I never want to see a pair of high-heeled shoes again as
long as I live. I despise them!"

The doctor picked up the offending little shoes and eyed them
critically.

"Wait," said Rosemary as he seemed about to speak. "I have something
to tell you, Hugh. I've been as bad as I could be, a