out
Lawford Tapp's coming near the store on the Shell Road.

This last Louise could not understand. But there was good reason for
Lawford's effacing himself at this time. In the empire of the Taffy
King there was revolution, and this trouble dated from the hour on the
previous morning when Louise had met and greeted Aunt Euphemia on the
beach.

The Tapp sisters may have been purse-proud and a little vulgar--from
Aunt Euphemia's point of view, at least--but they did not lack acumen.
They had seen and heard the greeting of Louise by the Ferritons and the
extremely haughty Lady from Poughkeepsie, and knew that Louise must be
"a somebody."

Cecile, young and bold enough to be direct, was not long in making
discoveries. With a rather blank expression of countenance L'Enfant
Terrible, for once almost speechless, beckoned her sisters to one side.

"Pestiferous infant," drawled Marian, "tell us who she is?"

"Is she a Broadway star?" asked Prue.

"Oh, she's a star all right," Cecile said, with disgust in her tone.
"We've been a trio of sillies, ignoring _her_. Fordy's fallen on both
feet--only he's too dense to know it, I s'pose."

"Tell us!" commanded Prue. "Who is she?"

"She's no screen actress," answered the gloomy Cecile.

"Who is she, then?" gasped Marian.

"Sue Perriton says she is Mrs. Conroth's niece, and Mrs. Conroth is all
the Society with a capital letter there _is_. Now, figure it out,"
said Cecile tartly. "If you smarties had taken her up right at the
start----"

"But we didn't kno-o-ow!" wailed Marian.

"Go on!" commanded Prue grimly.

"Why, Miss Grayling's father is a big scientist, or something, at
Washington. Her mother happened to be born here on the Cape; she was a
Card. This girl is just stopping over there with that old fellow who
keeps the store--her half-uncle--for a lark. What do you know about
_that_?"

"My word!" murmured Marian.

"And Ford------"

"He's mamma's precious white-haired boy _this_ time," declared the
slangy Cecile.

"Do--do you suppose he knew it all the time?" questioned Marian.

"Never! Just like old Doc Ambrose says, there isn't much above Fordy's
ears but solid bone," scoffed L'Enfant Terrible.

"Wait till ma hears of this," murmured Prue, and they proceeded to beat
a retreat for home that their mother might be informed of the wonder.
Lawford was already out of sight.

"How really fortunate Fordy is," murmured Mrs. Tapp, having received
the shoc