es away from Tom Cameron
and smiled upon Helen. "Yes," she said, demurely, "I am sure that Helen
has been singing my praises. The girls are beginning to call her 'Mr.
Boswell' at school. But I have heard complimentary words of you this
morning, Miss Gray."

"Oh!" cried the young actress. "From Mr. Hammond?"

"Yes."

"He is a lovely man," declared Hazel Gray, enthusiastically. "I have
always said so. If he would only make Grimes give me a square deal----"

"Those are the very words he used," interrupted Ruth, while Tom recovered
from his confusion and Helen from her enjoyment of her twin's
embarrassment. "He says you shall have a square deal."

While the young actress ate--and Aunt Alvirah heaped her plate, "killing
me with kindness!" Hazel Gray declared--the young folk chattered. Ruth saw
that Tom could scarcely keep his eyes off Miss Gray, and it puzzled the
girl of the Red Mill.

Afterward, when Miss Gray had gone out with Mr. Hammond, and Tom was out
of sight, Helen began to laugh. "Aren't boys funny?" she said to Ruth.
"Tom is terribly smitten with that lovely Hazel Gray."

"Smitten?" murmured Ruth.

"Of course. Don't say you didn't notice it. He hasn't had a 'crush' on any
girl before that I know of. But it's a sure-enough case of 'measles'
_this_ time. Busy Izzy tells me that most of the fellows in their class
at Seven Oaks have a 'crush' on some moving picture girl; and now Tom, I
suppose, will be cutting out of the papers every picture of Hazel Gray
that he sees, and sticking them up about his room. And she has promised to
send him a real cabinet photograph of herself in character in the
bargain," and Helen laughed again.

But Ruth could not be amused about this. She was disturbed.

"I didn't think Tom would be so silly," she finally said.

"Pooh! it's nothing. Bobbins and Tom are getting old enough to cast
sheep's eyes at the girls. Heretofore, Tommy has been crazy about the
slapstick comedians of the movies; but I rather admire his taste if he
likes this Hazel Gray. I really think she's lovely."

"So she is," Ruth said quite placidly. "But she is so much older than your
brother----"

"Pooh! only two or three years. But, of course, Ruth, it's nothing
serious," said the more worldly-wise Helen. "And boys usually are smitten
with girls some years older than themselves--at first."

"Dear me!" gasped Ruth. "How much you seem to know about such things,
Helen. _How did you find out?_"

At that Hele