juist, you know."

"Prejudiced? Not a bit, not a bit."

"Well, that's Kathleen and Nora, and--and perhaps Hazel--you know Hazel,
Papa, Hazel Sleighter?"

"The western girl--not at all wild and woolly though. A very modern and
very advanced young lady, isn't she?"

"Oh, I don't know what you mean, Papa. She says she may go down, but
I don't think she likes going with a lot of kids. You know she has her
hair up. She has to have it up in the store. She says the man would not
have her behind the counter if she had not her hair up."

"Oh, that's it. I thought perhaps the maturity of her age made it
necessary."

"I don't know what maturevy means, but she is awfully old. She is going
on sixteen."

"Dear me, as old as that?" inquired her father.

"Yes, but she said she wanted to see that circus car. That's what she
calls Mr. Gwynne's car. And she says she wants to see the elephunts
perform. There are not any elephunts. There's only Rosie and Rover. But
she may get off. She can get off if she can fool her boss, she says. So
we're all going down and we may bring Larry home with us, Mrs. Sleighter
says. Though Mrs. Gwynne says there's not any room, they're so filled up
now. And I said Larry could come here and Joe, too. But I am not so
sure about Sam. I think he must be awfully queer. Mr. Gwynne thinks he's
queer."

"It is quite possible, indeed probable, my dear," assented her father.

"Yes, Mr. Gwynne said he looked like a third-rate how-do-you-feel
performer."

"A what, exactly?"

"A how-do-you-feel performer."

"Oh, a vaudeville performer."

"Yes, a fodefeel performer. I don't know what that means, but he must be
queer. But I think Larry would be all right, and Joe. You see, we know
THEM."

"Oh, do we?"

"Yes, certainly, Papa. Larry is Nora's brother. He's awfully clever.
He's only fifteen and he passed the Entrance in Ontario and that's ever
so much harder than here. He passed it before he was fourteen."

"Before he was fourteen!" replied her father. "Amazing!"

"Yes, and he plays the mouth organ and the tin whistle and the fiddle,
and Mr. Gwynne says he has learned some stunts from Sam. I think he must
be awfully nice. So I said he could come here. And Mrs. Gwynne thanked
me so nicely, and she's just lovely, Papa."

"I have not seen her," said her father, "but I have heard her voice, and
I quite agree with you. The voice always tells. Have you noticed that?
The voice gives the keynote of the soul."