time to look them over. Jane noticed that some of them had
heavy black bands across the front page.

"Say, they'd be fine--we could paste them close together on white paper
for the dresses and veils."

She started off to ask her mother's permission to use them.

"Why, I don't know whether your father wants any of them or not. He
spoke as if he would like to save a few--you might take the ones the
mice nibbled."

There were four or five of these and the children were soon busily
engaged in cutting out the black strips. When Gertie unfolded the last
one two letters fell out.

Jane pounced upon them with a shriek. "Oh, Gertie, do you s'pose?"

"Maybe they are--let's take them to your mother quick!"

The little girls pattered downstairs to Mrs. Morton, thrilled with
excitement.

"Don't get so excited, children. Little ladies should learn to compose
themselves."

She slowly put on her spectacles and deliberately examined the
envelopes.

"They do seem to be addressed to Mr. Fletcher, but there isn't one
chance in a hundred they are of any value. However, I'll turn them over
to Mr. Harding."

"Oh, Mother, see what's inside, quick!"

"My dear little daughter, I have no right to read other people's
letters. Mr. Harding is Alice's lawyer and it is his place not mine to
examine these. You little girls may get your hats and take them down to
Mr. Harding's office. I think I can trust you not to drop them."

The children surprised Dick Harding by rushing in waving the letters
breathlessly. They had run about half the way in their zeal. He was a
more satisfactory listener than Mrs. Morton--he was excited, too. It
took him about four minutes to run through the letters, Chicken Little
and Gertie explaining how they came to find them while he read.

The first letter he dropped impatiently, muttering, "No good." After a
glance at the signature of the second he said "Ah" softly.

When he had finished it, he jumped up and seizing Chicken Little with
one hand and Gertie by the other, spun them round the room so fast he
made their heads swim.

"Blessed be paper dolls and little girls! One sentence in that letter
will do the work or I am no lawyer! Go home and look through the other
papers and see if you can find any more, though I don't believe we need
them."

CHAPTER XIX

THINGS HAPPEN

If there had been any person left to get married, Chicken Little would
have been sure the family was preparing for another