warmth of welcome. It was a part of their play to blindfold me and
lead me in. When I opened my eyes, there they stood. Twenty-five
happy faces smiling into mine, and twenty babies to match. It was
the kiddies that saved the day. I was not a little bewildered, and
tears stung my eyes. But with one accord the babies set up a howl
at anything so inconceivable as a queer foreign thing with a tan
head appearing in their midst. When peace was restored by natural
methods, the fun began.

The girls fairly bombarded me with questions. Could I come to see
every one of them? Where was Jack? Could they see his picture?
Did he say I could come? How "glad" it was to be together again.
Did I remember how we used to play? Then everybody giggled. One
thought had touched them all. Why not play now!

The baby question was quickly settled. Soon there was a roaring
fire in my study. We raided the classroom for rugs and cushions
and with the collection made down beds in a half ring around the
crackling flames. On each we put a baby, feet fireward. We called
in the _Obasan_ (old woman) to play nurse, and on the table near we
placed a row of bottles marked "First aid to the hungry." As I
closed the door of the emergency nursery, I looked back to see a
semi-circle of pink heels waving hilariously. Surely the fire
goddess never had lovelier devotees than the Oriental cherubs that
lay cooing and kicking before it that day.

How we played! In all the flowery kingdom so many foolish people
could not have been found in one place. What chaff and banter!
What laying aside of cares, responsibilities, and heavy hearts, if
there were any, and just being free and young! For a time at least
the years fell away from us and we relived all the games and
folk-dances we ever knew. True, time had stiffened joints and some
of the movements were about as graceful as a pair of fire tongs and
I may be dismissed for some of the fancy steps I showed the girls,
but they were happy, and far more supple than when we began.

When we were breathless we hauled in our old friend the big
_hibachi_, with a peck of glowing charcoal right in the middle. We
sat on our folded feet and made a big circle all around, with only
the glimmer of the coals for a light. Then we talked.

Each girl had a story to tell, either of herself or some one we had
known together. Over many we laughed. For others the tears
started.

Warmed by companionship and move