was only because I never dreamed you or anyone else would ever try
such a feat." Suddenly his sternness vanished, he stooped quickly and
gathered the scared little souls in his arms, choking huskily, "My
little girlies, if you knew what a fright you have given your old
grandpa--"

"Oh, grandpa," quavered Allee from her retreat on his shoulder, "we'll
never do it again, truly!"

"And you won't take this darling room away from us this time, will you?"
wheedled Peace, her equilibrium restored at sight of this unusual
display of emotion.

"No," he promised, "not this time. We'll try you again, but remember--no
more window climbing of _any_ kind."

"Not even out onto the balcony?" wailed Peace in dismay.

There was a sound of suppressed laughter from the hall, and as the girls
in the flag room whirled about to discover the cause, the President
suddenly remembered his new guests and rose hurriedly to his feet. But
Peace had reached the door in a bound and with a cry of delight dragged
forth the embarrassed strangers, exclaiming, "It's Henderson and Lorene,
grandpa! They look 'xactly like their picture, don't they, only not
quite so grumpy? Grandma said I better write Lorene and I did and I
invited her to come up for my party. That's how they happen to be here.
Now we'll get acquainted with our relations, won't we? I invited Belle,
too. Why didn't she come?"

"Belle and mamma went to Evanston last week," Lorene explained
bashfully.

"And they let you come all alone?"

"They don't know yet that we aren't in Chicago," chuckled Henderson.
"Dad let us come. It's only a twelve-hour ride and we don't change cars
at all. Pooh! We've gone longer ways than that alone."

"But not when mamma knew it," supplemented Lorene. "She'd have
_insisted_ upon sending Nurse with us--if she had let us come at all.
Where shall we put our wraps? It's hot in here."

"Oh, I forgot!" cried Peace, abruptly recalled to her duties as hostess,
for dazed Dr. Campbell had gone in search of his wife the minute he saw
that the children were sufficiently introduced.

"Hang your coat on the hall-tree, Henderson; and Lorene, bring your
things in here. It's pretty near lunch time already, and then we must
dress for the party."

So in spite of their very unexpected arrival, the two strangers received
a royal welcome, and were soon very much at home with the six merry
girls whom they promptly adopted as cousins, just as Peace had hoped
they would. And