len's,
but to Dorry everything west of the Mississippi was absolutely new. He
was a very busy person in these days, and quite the success of the Carr
family in a moneyed point of view. The turn for mechanics which he
exhibited in boyhood had continued, and determined his career.
Electrical science had attracted his attention in its earlier,
half-developed stages; he had made a careful study of it, and qualified
himself for the important position which he held under the company,
which was fast revolutionizing the lighting and street-car system of
Burnet, now growing to be a large manufacturing centre. This was doing
well for a young fellow not quite twenty-five, and his family were very
proud of him. He was too valuable to his employers to be easily spared,
and except for the enforced leisure of the grippe it might probably have
been years before he felt free to make his sisters in Colorado a visit,
in which case nothing would have happened that did happen.

"Dear, steady old Sobersides!" said Elsie, as she spread a fresh cover
over the shelf which did duty for a bureau in the Bachelors' Room; "I
wonder what he will think of it all. I'm afraid he will be scandalized
at our scrambling ways, and our having no regular church, and consider
us a set of half-heathen Bohemians."

"I don't believe it. Dorry has too much good sense, and has seen too
much of the world among business men to be easily shocked. And our
little Sunday service is very nice, I think; Geoff reads so
reverently,--and for sermons, we have our pick of the best there are."

"I know, and I like them dearly myself; but I seem to feel that Dorry
will miss the pulpit and sitting in a regular pew. He's rather that sort
of person, don't you think?"

"You are too much inclined to laugh at Dorry," said Clover, reprovingly,
"and he doesn't deserve it of you. He's a thoroughly good, sensible
fellow, and has excellent abilities, papa says,--not brilliant, but very
sound. I don't like to have you speak so of him."

"Why, Clovy--my little Clovy, I almost believe you are scolding me! Let
me look at you,--yes, there's quite a frown on your forehead, and your
mouth has the firm look of grandpapa Carr's daguerreotype. I'll be
good,--really I will. Don't fire again,--I've 'come down' like the coon
in the anecdote. Dorry's a dear, and you are another, and I'm ever so
glad he's coming; but really, it's not in human nature not to laugh at
the one solemn person in a frivolous