th him,
and her face lit up with rapturous delight. She skipped across the
room with a joyful scream.

"Oh, John, John Gordon, you dear old sneak; why didn't you tell me you
were coming to-day?"

She flung her arms about his neck and gave him a sounding kiss. John
Gordon had been a whole year in college, but he had not yet become
sufficiently grown-up to accept a salute from his sister. He drew back
rather embarrassed, but his blue eyes shone in his dark face. He was
tremendously glad to see Lizzie again, and could not quite hide the
fact.

The other young man seemed equally pleased. "I say, Lizzie!" he
exclaimed, as she joyously shook both his hands. "You're grown about a
yard. And her neck's longer than ever, isn't it, John?"

"You mean old Pretender," she said with a pout; nevertheless, she did
not look offended. Miss Gordon had quite changed her views regarding
the possession of a long neck. Estella Raymond, her dearest chum, who
was short and plump, had declared many times that she would give ten
thousand dollars--not specifying how she was to come by such a sum--if
she could have a neck one-half as long and slim and graceful as Beth
Gordon's.

"Never mind, she's getting better looking, I do declare," the Pretender
added. "How's everybody?"

"Oh, just splendid--that is, they were when I was home last. I don't
go every Friday, you know. When did you come? Am I to go home with
you?"

"We just got here on the noon train," her brother explained, "and we
swarmed up to Annie's and she gave us the dinner of our lives."

"Say, it didn't taste much like boarding-house hash, did it?" cried Mr.
MacAllister fervently.

"And John Coulson's going to stand a treat for the whole family, and
drive us all out to The Dale--the Kid and all. And you're to come
along. Scoot and get your hat."

Elizabeth danced away down the hall to the cloakroom dizzy with joy.
Examinations, mathematics, principals of High Schools, all unkind and
troublesome things had vanished in a rosy mist. The old delight of
getting "off with the boys," was as strong at seventeen as at ten. The
boys themselves seemed to have changed their minds in the intervening
years as to the advisability of allowing Lizzie to "tag after them."
John's deep blue eyes, looking after her dancing figure, showed the
love and pride in his sister which he was always so careful to hide,
and his companion looked with somewhat the same expression and withal a