pose except to look them over out of
mere curiosity. With these tucked under her arm, she turned into the
boarding-house gate, ran up the steps, and, upon opening the door, her
ears were gladdened by the first friendly voice she had heard--it
seemed to her--in ages, a voice withal that she had least expected to
hear. A short, plump woman rushed out of the parlor, and precipitated
herself bodily upon Hazel.

"Kitty Ryan! Where in the wide, wide world did you come from?" Hazel
cried.

"From the United States and everywhere," Miss Ryan replied. "Take me
up to your room, dear, where we can talk our heads off.

"And, furthermore, Hazie, I'll be pleased to have you address me as
Mrs. Brooks, my dear young woman," the plump lady laughed, as she
settled herself in a chair in Hazel's room.

"So you're married?" Hazel said.

"I am that," Mrs. Kitty responded emphatically, "to the best boy that
ever drew breath. And so should you be, dear girl. I don't see how
you've escaped so long--a good-looking girl like you. The boys were
always crazy after you. There's nothing like having a good man to take
care of you, dear."

"Heaven save me from them!" Hazel answered bitterly. "If you've got a
good one, you're lucky. I can't see them as anything but
self-centered, arrogant, treacherous brutes."

"Lord bless us--it's worse than I thought!" Kitty jumped up and threw
her arms around Hazel. "There, there--don't waste a tear on them. I
know all about it. I came over to see you just as soon as some of the
girls--nasty little cats they are; a woman's always meaner than a man,
dear--just as soon as they gave me an inkling of how things were going
with you. Pshaw! The world's full of good, decent fellows--and you've
got one coming."

"I hope not," Hazel protested.

"Oh, yes, you have," Mrs. Brooks smilingly assured her. "A woman
without a man is only half a human being, anyway, you know--and vice
versa. I know. We can cuss the men all we want to, my dear, and some
of us unfortunately have a nasty experience with one now and then. But
we can't get away from the fundamental laws of being."

"If you'd had my experience of the last two weeks you'd sing a
different tune," Hazel vehemently declared. "I hate--I--"

And then she gave way, and indulged in the luxury of turning herself
loose on Kitty's shoulder. Presently she was able to wipe her eyes and
relate the whole story from the Sunday Mr. Bush stopped and spoke t