ie," she said, "how last winter when she was getting
over the grippe she took up that correspondence-school course in
swimming. She's reading, watch her books. It'll probably be suffrage or
airships."

Tish always believes anything she reads. She had been quite sure she
could swim after six correspondence lessons. She had all the movements
exactly, and had worried her trained nurse almost into hysteria for a
week by turning on her face in bed every now and then and trying the
overhand stroke. She got very expert, and had decided she'd swim
regularly, and even had Charlie Sands show her the Australian crawl
business so she could go over some time and swim the Channel. It was a
matter of breathing and of changing positions, she said, and was up to
intelligence rather than muscle.

Then when she was quite strong, she had gone to the natatorium. Aggie
and I went along, not that we were any good in emergency, but because
Tish had convinced us there would be no emergency. And Tish went in at
the deep end of the pool, head first, according to diagram, and _did not
come up_.

Well, there seemed to be nothing threatening in what Tish was reading
this time. She had ordered some books for Maria Lee's children and was
looking them over before she sent them. The "Young Woods-man" was one
and "Camper Craft" was another. How I shudder when I recall those names!

Aggie had baked an angel cake and I had brought over a jar of cookies.
But Tish only thanked us and asked Hannah to take them out. Even then we
were not suspicious. Tish sat back among her pillows and said very
little. The conversation was something like this:--

_Aggie_: Well, you're up again: I hope to goodness it will be a lesson
to you. If you don't mind, I'd like Hannah to cut that cake. It fell
in the middle.

_Tish_: Do you know that the Indians never sweetened their food and that
they developed absolutely perfect teeth?

_Aggie_: Well, they never had any automobiles either, but they didn't
develop wings.

_Lizzie_: Don't you want that window closed? I'm in a draft.

_Tish_: Air in motion never gave any one a cold. We do not catch cold;
we catch heat. It's ridiculous the way we shut ourselves up in houses
and expect to remain well.

_Aggie_: Well, I'b catchig sobethig.

_Lizzie_ (_changing the subject_): Would you like me to help you dress?
It might rest your back to have your corset on.

_Tish_ (_firmly_): I shall never wear