ly. Unless, perhaps, Aunt Sarah
Maltby refused to melt before the sunshine of his smile. He was a
handsome fellow, too--curly brown hair, a good brown and red complexion,
well chiseled features, brown eyes set wide apart, and lips that laughed
above a well molded and firm-looking chin.

Cecile was his antithesis--sprightly and small-framed, roguish of look
and behavior, without an iota of hoidenishness about her. She was
inordinately fond of her brother, and she could not understand how the
Corner House girls had managed to get on so many years without one boy,
at least, in the family.

"Of course, you've got Neale," she said to Ruth and Agnes after they had
reached the house.

"And there's Sammy Pinkney," Tess put in gravely. "I'm sure he's quite
as much trouble to us as a real brother could be."

At this there was a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

The little girls were fond of Luke Shepard, however. He had been very
nice to them on that adventurous occasion when they had met him and his
sister on the automobile tour; and on coming to the old Corner House for
this visit he had not forgotten Tess and Dot. To the former he had
brought a lovely, imaginative, beautifully bound story book, "full of
gods and gondolas," Dot said with awe.

To Dot herself he most tactfully presented a doll. Not a doll to take
the place in any way of the beloved Alice-doll. No. Luke was too wise a
youth for that. But it was a new baby nevertheless that Dot was bound to
be proud of.

"Oh," cried Tess, "a boy baby, Dot! And you never had a real boy baby
before!"

"Or such a nice looking one, at any rate," Agnes suggested.

Dot, smiling "big," clasped the manly looking little manikin in its neat
sailor suit and cap. She really was too pleased for speech for a minute
or two. Then she said:

"I'm real glad you came to see us, Mr. Luke. I was glad before. Now I'm
glad _twice_."

"You can't beat that kid," said Neale admiringly.

But the arrival of the new doll-baby put upon the smaller Corner House
girls--especially upon Dot--a duty that was always taken seriously. The
naming of either new dolls or new pets usually needed the heedful
attention of the entire Corner House family.

The children of Sandyface, and her grandchildren, were usually an
enormous care upon the little girls in this way. To name so many cats,
and name them appropriately, had been in the past a matter of no little
moment.

Now that Sandyface had found four mo