dy to go to the kitchen when a quiet:

"Won't Miss Carol sit down with us?" made her stop dead in her tracks.

He had pulled a chair from the corner up to the table for her, and she
dropped into it. She put her elbows on the table, and leaning her dainty
chin in her hands, gazed thoughtfully at Connie, whose eyes were bright
with the fires of victory.

"Ah, Connie, I have hopes of you yet,--you are improving," she said
gently. "Will you run out to the kitchen and bring me a bowl of soup, my
child?"

And then came laughter, full and free,--and in the midst of it Carol
looked up, wiping her eyes, and said:

"I'm sorry now I didn't let you kiss me, just to shock father!"

But the visit was a great success. Even Mr. Starr realized that. The
millionaire's son remained in Mount Mark four days, the cynosure of all
eyes, for as Carol said, "What's the use of bothering with a
millionaire's son if you can't brag about him."

And his devotion to his father's college chum was such that he wrote to
him regularly for a long time after, and came westward now and again to
renew the friendship so auspiciously begun.

"But you can't call him a problem, father," said Carol keenly. "They
aren't problematic until they discriminate. And he doesn't. He's as fond
of Connie's conscience as he is of my complexion, as far as I can see."
She rubbed her velvet skin regretfully. She had two pimples yesterday
and he never even noticed them. Then she leaned forward and smiled.
"Father, you keep an eye on Connie. There's something in there that we
aren't on to yet." And with this cryptic remark, Carol turned her
attention to a small jar of cold cream the druggist had given her to
sample.

CHAPTER XVI

THE TWINS HAVE A PROPOSAL

It was half past three on a delightful summer afternoon. The twins stood
at the gate with two hatless youths, performing what seemed to be the
serious operation of separating their various tennis racquets and shoes
from the conglomerate jumble. Finally, laughing and calling back over
their shoulders, they sauntered lazily up the walk toward the house, and
the young men set off in the direction from which they had come. They
were hardly out of hearing distance when the front door opened, and Aunt
Grace beckoned hurriedly to the twins.

"Come on, quick," she said. "Where in the world have you been all day?
Did you have any luncheon? Mrs. Forrest and Jim were here, and they
invited you to go home with them fo