t wonder. I'm not so
sure as I used to be that I can recognize leaven at first sight."

"Ah, that's it!" cried his guest. "But a soldier, now, is a soldier!"

Then they smiled their lack of acquiescence, and went back to the
figures for the fiscal year.

An hour later Doctor June stood alone on his garden walk, aimlessly
poking about among his slips. He had done what he always did, following
close on the heels of his well-established resolution never to do it
again. He had pledged himself to try to raise one hundred dollars in
Friendship for a pet philanthropy.

"It's a kind of dissipation with me," he said, helplessly, and wandered
down to his gate. "If I read an article about the Congo Free State or
Women in India, it acts on me like brandy. I go off my head and give
away my substance, and involve innocent people. But then, of course,
this is different. It is always different."

Then he heard Ellen's little song again. "Busy, busy, busy ..." she
sang, and came round the corner from the town, catching at the lowest
branches of the curb elms and laughing a little. At Doctor June's gate
she halted and shook some lilacs at him.

"Here," she said, "put some on your coat for a patch on your heart so's
the break won't show. Ain't the Lord made the sun shine down this
morning? Did you know there's a Carnival comin' to town?"

"Like enough, Ellen," said Doctor June. "Like enough."

"_Is_ one," she persisted. "They said about it in the Post-Office--I
heard 'em. Dancin', an' parrots, an' jumpin' dogs."

He stood looking at her thoughtfully as she arranged her flowers,
singing under breath.

"Ellen," he said, "will you tell Miss Liddy a few of us are going to
meet here in my yard to-morrow afternoon, to talk over some
money-raising? And ask her to come?"

"I will," Ellen sang it, "I will an' I will. Did you mean me to come,
too?" she broke off wistfully.

"My stars, yes!" said Doctor June. "You're going to come early and help
me, aren't you? I took that for granted."

"Here's your lilacs," said Ellen, tossing him a nosegay. "I'll tell
Liddy while she's eatin'. Liddy don't like me to talk much when she's
workin'. But when she eats I can talk, an' I'll tell her then."

She went on, singing, and Doctor June shook his head.

"I don't know but Mr. Bliss is right," he said, "though I hope I can
keep my doubts to myself and not brag about 'em, just to be the style.
But it does look as if poor Ellen Ember came into the