ribbon affairs?"

"Yes, indeed," Shirley laughed. "See, here it is," and she pointed to
the one in Pauline's hand.

Sextoness Jane came down the steps. "Me, I ain't never wore a badge!
Not once in all my life! Oncet, when I was a little youngster, 'most
like Patience, teacher, she got up some sort of May doings. We was all
to wear white dresses and red, white and blue ribbons--very night
before, I come down with the mumps. Looks like I always come down when
I ought to've stayed up!"

"But you won't come down with anything this time," Pauline pinned the
blue badge on the waist of Jane's black and white calico. "Now you're
an honorary member of 'The S. W. F. Club.'"

Jane passed a hand over it softly. "My Land!" was all she could say.

She was still stroking it softly as she walked slowly away towards
home. My, wouldn't Tobias be interested!

CHAPTER IX

AT THE MANOR

"'All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock,'"

Patience chanted, moving slowly about the parsonage garden, hands full
of flowers, and the big basket, lying on the grass beyond, almost full.

Behind her, now running at full speed, now stopping suddenly, back
lifted, tail erect, came Lucky, the black kitten from The Maples.
Lucky had been an inmate of the parsonage for some weeks now and was
thriving famously in her adopted home. Towser tolerated her with the
indifference due such a small, insignificant creature, and she
alternately bullied and patronized Towser.

"We haven't shepherd's purse, nor lady's smock, that I know of, Lucky,"
Patience said, glancing back at the kitten, at that moment threatening
battle at a polite nodding Sweet William, "but you can see for yourself
that we have hollyhocks, while as for bachelor's buttons! Just look at
that big, blue bunch in one corner of the basket."

It was the morning of the day of Shirley's turn and Pauline was
hurrying to get ready to go over and help decorate the manor. She was
singing, too; from the open windows of the "new room" came the words--

"'A cheerful world?--It surely is
And if you understand your biz
You'll taboo the worry worm,
And cultivate the happy germ.'"

To which piece of good advice, Patience promptly whistled back the gay
refrain.

On the back porch, Sextoness Jane--called in for an extra half-day--was
ironing the white dresses to be worn