pon accompanying
Judith, and there he stood guard while she talked concerning the
virtues of her anti-kink lotion and scented soaps.

She wished he would leave her for a moment, as she had a little
private business to transact with Uncle Billy, but he stuck closer
than any brother was ever known to stick and she must let him see her
hand to the old man a package, saying:

"Please, Uncle Billy, give this to Miss Ann Peyton and tell her it is
from a sincere admirer. It is just a bottle of lavender water, but I
thought she might like it."

Uncle Billy bowed so low that his beard almost touched the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, missy! I been a sayin' that you air the onlies'
one in the whole county what kin hol a can'le to what my Miss Ann wa'
in ol' days--an' air now fer that matter."

CHAPTER XI

A Surprise for Cinderella

The Ryeville Courier reported that the county was "agog" over the ball
to be given by the veterans of the Rye House porch. Invitations were
delivered with the same expedition that they had been printed and by
nightfall of the day the scheme was hatched everybody who was anybody,
and a great many who made no pretense of being, had received a notice
that he or she was expected to come to the skating rink on Friday
night to a debut party.

"We'll show 'em," boasted Judge Middleton, who with Colonel Crutcher
had driven about town in his buggy, delivering invitations. "First,
we'll stop at the Buck place and ask Judith. We can't have a party
without our Cinderella."

Judith had returned from her peddling trip, and was busily engaged in
preparing the motormen's supper, when her old admirers arrived.

"Hi, Miss Judy!" they called from the buggy.

"Hi, yourself!" she cried, appearing around the side of the house with
floury hands and flushed face.

"We're gonter give a ball and we want to ask you to come to it," said
the Colonel. "It is to be this Friday night coming."

"Oh, I wish I could, but you know I never leave my mother at night.
You see, she is all alone."

"Of course you don't, but your mother is especially invited to this
ball. See her name is written over yours on the envelope. Why, child,
it wouldn't be a ball unless you came. We--we--" but here Judge
Middleton dug an elbow into the Colonel's ribs and took the
conversation in his own hands.

"The fact is, Miss Judy, all of us old fellows think a lot of you and
we are kind of 'lowing you'd dance with us and make it livel