troductions then. The pastor was a stooped, gray old man, who had been
the incumbent for many years, and to the Bray girls his discourse seemed
as helpful as any they had ever heard.

After service the girls of Hillcrest Farm were introduced to many of the
congregation by Mrs. Pritchett. Naturally these were the middle-aged, or
older, members of the flock--mostly ladies who knew, or remembered, the
girls' mother and Aunt Jane. Indeed, it was rather noticeable that the
young women and girls did not come forward to meet Lyddy and 'Phemie.

Not that either of the sisters cared. They liked the matrons who attended
Cornell Chapel much better than they had most of the youthful members of
the Temperance Club.

Some of the young men waited their chance in the vestibule to get a bow
and a smile of recognition from the newcomers; but only the schoolmaster
dared attach himself for any length of time to the Pritchett party.

And Mrs. Pritchett could not fail to take note of this at length. The
teacher was deep in some unimportant discussion with Lyddy, who was
sweetly unconscious that she was fanning the fire of suspicion in Mrs.
Pritchett's breast.

That lady finally broke in with a loud "Ahem!" following it with: "I
re'lly don't know what's happened to my Sairy. She's right poorly to-day,
Mr. Somers."

"Why--I--I'm sorry to hear it," said the startled, yet quite unsuspicious
teacher. "She seemed to be in good health and spirits when we were on our
way to the club meeting last evening."

"Ya-as," agreed Mrs. Pritchett, simpering and looking at him sideways.
"She seems to have changed since then. She ain't been herself since she
walked home from the meeting."

"Perhaps she has a cold?" suggested the teacher, blandly.

"Oh, Sairy is not subject to colds," declared Mrs. Pritchett. "But she
is easily chilled in other ways--yes, indeed! I don't suppose there is
a more sensitive young girl on the ridge than my Sairy."

Mr. Somers began to wake up to the fact that the farmer's wife was not
shooting idly at him; there was "something behind it!"

"I am sorry if Miss Sairy is offended, or has been hurt in any way," he
said, gravely. "It was a pity she had to walk home from the club. If I
had known----"

"Wa-al," drawled Mrs. Pritchett, "_you_ took her there yourself in your
buggy."

"Indeed!" he exclaimed, flushing a little. "I had no idea that bound me
to the necessity of taking her home again. Her brother was there with you