ten do
wrong,--but it means a lot to a fellow when he has somebody like you
to care for him."

"Why, how dark it is! Who is here? I can't see," exclaimed Bess,
coming in, followed by her father and Louise.

"Carl making love to Aunt Zelie," said the latter, dropping down on
the other side of her aunt, and taking possession of all that was
left.

Bess surveyed them discontentedly. "There is not a scrap of a place
for me."

"You will have to put up with your old father," said Mr. Hazeltine.

"You are better than nobody," she said saucily.

"I forgot to tell you," began Louise suddenly, "that Mr. Caruth is
going to Japan."

"Is that so?" her father said in surprise, while Carl and Bess both
exclaimed. "Did you know anything of it, Zelie?"

"It is rather a sudden decision, I fancy. Some friends have been
urging him to go. He was here this afternoon and said good-by," she
replied.

"I met him just as he was leaving," said Louise, "and he asked me to
say good-by to everybody for him."

"If everybody goes, what are we to do?" asked Bess disconsolately.

"Suppose we go, too! What do you say, Zelie, to sending Carie and
Helen to comfort Aunt Annie in her loneliness while the rest of us go
off for a holiday? We can see Ikey on his way and drop Carl at school
later on."

"You are an angel to think of such a thing!" cried Louise, and Mr.
Hazeltine was so nearly suffocated by his ecstatic daughters that he
almost regretted his proposal.

Aunt Zelie wouldn't have dared to object if she had wished to, so she
and her brother made their plans while the girls and Carl ran over to
tell Ikey the good news.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE BIG FRONT DOOR IS LEFT ALONE.

"If Dora could only go!" Bess said, as she and Louise flew around in a
delightful bustle of preparation.

As this was quite out of the question, Dora was content to stay at
home. She promised Helen that she would go over and pet Mr. Smith, the
cat, occasionally, that he might not feel her absence too deeply, and
Aunt Zelie told her to help herself to all the flowers she wanted.
Uncle William sent her half a dozen new books, and the girls and Carl
promised to write often.

The boys felt themselves to be most important members of society as
the time for leaving drew near, for they were petted and feasted and
made much of generally.

Aunt Marcia gave them an elegant dinner; Elsie had a fete in their
honor; but best of all was the farewell tea-party at Mis