"I said NO!" he repeated. "Once and for all, Rosemary, I positively
forbid you to have your hair cut. Do you understand me?"

CHAPTER VI

ROSEMARY HAS HER WAY

"Sarah, Oh, Sarah! Sally Waters, I'm calling you!"

Sarah glanced up at the merry face regarding her over the fence and
frowned.

"Well, what do you want?" she asked ungraciously. "Don't you dare
call me Sally, Jack Welles!"

"I'll call you Sadie, then," said the boy obligingly. "Where's
Rosemary?"

He was a short, stocky lad, between fifteen and sixteen years old,
with a freckled snub nose, engaging brown eyes and a chin that
promised well for future force of character.

"Where's Rosemary?" he asked again.

"I don't know--I haven't seen her since lunch," answered Sarah.
"Don't you think Elinor looks better to-day, Jack?"

Elinor was the sick rabbit and Sarah waited Jack's decision
anxiously.

"Sure, leave her alone and she'll come out all right," he said
heartlessly. "You're always fussing with animals, aren't you, Sarah?
I believe you like 'em better when they're sick because it gives you
an excuse to pet them more."

Sarah's brown, stolid little face kindled suddenly with passionate
earnestness.

"Nobody cares!" she cried. "Nobody! Winnie wouldn't let me keep the
sick kittens in the kitchen and they died and Elinor would have
died, too, if it hadn't been for me. When I grow up, I'm going to
have a big house and there isn't going to be a single person in it.
Just animals--so there!"

"I suppose you'll have a trained cow to do the cooking, and a dog to
wash dishes," teased Jack. "Never mind, Sarah, there'll always be
plenty of animals needing a friend like you. Maybe Hugh will doctor
them for you, and I'll come take your patients out for airings in my
best and newest airplane!"

"Hello, what's all this confabbing?" called Doctor Hugh, coming
across the grass toward the fence. "Rabbits improving, Sarah?
Where's Rosemary?"

"Hello, Hugh," Jack greeted him with a cheerful grin. "All the
patients cured this early in the day? Sarah is going to follow in
your footsteps, but she won't give her services to people, only to
mistreated animals."

"I've been late for dinner two nights running and I thought I'd
surprise the family by a punctual appearance this time," explained
the doctor. "My chief difficulty now is to find some one to
surprise. Aunt Trudy has gone to the library, Winnie says, Shirley
is playing with some neighbor's child