good deal better than he is.
How it would tickle me to hear my niece calling the Hon. Nathaniel
Sawyer papa!" And Uncle Ike laughed until his sides shook.

Monday promised to be a dull day. 'Zekiel told Quincy at breakfast,
after the others had left the table, that Alice had spoken to him about
Mrs. Mason's invitation to tea, and, of course, he was going. Quincy
said that he had accepted the invitation and would be pleased to
accompany him and his sister.

After breakfast he heard Alice singing in the parlor, and joining her
there told her that he had received a letter from Mr. Ernst, which he
would like to read to her. Alice was delighted with the letter, and they
both laughed heartily over it, Quincy humorously apologizing for the
swear word by saying that being historical it could not be profane.

Alice had in her hand the two letters that she had received on Saturday.

"Have you answered your letters?" he asked.

"No, I have not even heard them read," she replied. "Uncle Ike has grown
tired all at once and won't read to me nor write for me. I don't
understand him at all. I sent for him yesterday afternoon, after you
came down, and told him what I wanted him to do. He sent back word that
he was too busy and I must get somebody else, but who can I get? Mandy
and 'Zekiel are both too much occupied with their own duties to help
me."

"If I can be of any service to you, Miss Pettengill, you know--"

"Oh, I don't think I should dare to let you read these letters,"
interrupted Alice, laughing. "No doubt they are from two of my lady
friends, and I have always heard that men consider letters that women
write to each other very silly and childish."

"Perhaps I have not told you," said Quincy, "that I have two sisters and
am used to that sort of thing. When I was in college hardly a day passed
that I did not get a letter from one or the other of them, and they
brightened up my life immensely."

"What are their names and how old are they?" asked Alice.

"The elder," replied Quincy, "is nineteen and her name is Florence
Estelle."

"What a sweet name!" said Alice.

"The younger is between fifteen and sixteen, and is named Maude
Gertrude."

"Is she as dignified as her name?" asked Alice.

"Far from it," remarked Quincy. "She would be a tomboy if she had an
opportunity. Mother and father call them Florence and Maude, for they
both abhor nicknames, but among ourselves they are known as Flossie, or
Stell, and Gerti