ll I invite to my party, father?" she asked.

"Just whom you please, my dear," said the Colonel.

"I don't know what to do about inviting Paul Parker. Fanny Funk says she
don't want to associate with a fellow who is so poor that he wears his
grandfather's old clothes," said Daphne.

"Poverty is not a crime, my daughter. I was poor once,--poor as Paul is.
Money is not virtue, my dear. It is a good thing to have; but persons
are not necessarily bad because they are poor, neither are they good
because they are rich," said the Colonel.

"Should you invite him, father, if you were in my place?"

"I do not wish to say, my child, for I want you to decide the matter
yourself."

"Azalia says that she would invite him; but Fanny says that if I invite
him, she shall not come."

"Aha!" The Colonel opened his eyes wide. "Well, my dear, you are not to
be influenced wholly by what Azalia says, and you are to pay no
attention to what Fanny threatens. You make the party. You have a
perfect right to invite whom you please; and if Fanny don't choose to
come, she has the privilege of staying away. I think, however, that she
will not be likely to stay at home even if you give Paul an invitation.
Be guided by your own sense of right, my darling. That is the best
guide."

"I wish you'd give Paul a coat, father. You can afford to, can't you?"

"Yes; but he can't afford to receive it," Daphne looked at her father in
amazement. "He can't afford to receive such a gift from me, because it
is better for him to fight the battle of life without any help from me
or anybody else at present. A good man offered to help me when I was a
poor boy; but I thanked him, and said, 'No, sir.' I had made up my mind
to cut my own way, and I guess Paul has made up his mind to do the same
thing," said the Colonel.

"I shall invite him. I'll let Fanny know that I have a mind of my own,"
said Daphne, with determination in her voice.

Her father kissed her, but kept his thoughts to himself. He appeared to
be pleased, and Daphne thought that he approved her decision.

The day before New Year Paul received a neatly folded note, addressed to
Mr. Paul Parker. How funny it looked! It was the first time in his life
that he had seen "Mr." prefixed to his name. He opened it, and read that
Miss Daphne Dare would receive her friends on New Year's eve at seven
o'clock. A great many thoughts passed through his mind. How could he go
and wear his grandfather's coat? At