it. I had an old sampler and it was dated 1836 and I picked out some
stitches so it looked like 1636."

"You didn't deceive anybody!" exclaimed Elise.

"I'm glad of it," returned Azalea, simply. "I was too ignorant to know
that there were no samplers made at that earlier date,--and to tell the
truth, I didn't think much about it,--I just did it hastily,--on a
sudden impulse,--because I wanted to give Elise something worth-while
for her booth at the fair."

"And gave me something utterly worthless!" scoffed Elise.

"Oh, come now, Elise," said Farnsworth, "it didn't hurt your sales any,
even if it didn't help them. Call it a joke and let it go at that."

"But it _was_ deceitful, Cousin William," said Azalea, "and I do confess
it, and I'm sorry as I can be about it."

Her pretty face was troubled and she looked so disturbed that Phil took
up the cudgels for her.

"Oh, come off, all of you," he said, laughingly, "this isn't a court of
inquiry, and we're not sitting in judgment on Azalea. She has properly
admitted all her escapades, and she's been forgiven by the ones most
interested, now let's call it a day,--and talk about something else."

"All right,--let's talk about the 'Star of the West,'" cried the
irrepressible Ray Gale. "Now the secret's out, there's no harm in
mentioning it. You _must_ see that picture, Farnsworth, and then you'll
be begging Azalea to go back to screen work!"

"Never," said Azalea, her face shining with happiness that she was
forgiven and reinstated in general favour, "I've had my lesson. No more
films for me! From now on, I'm going to be goody-girl,--and behave like
nice ladies,--like Patty and Betty--and Elise."

The slight hesitation before the last name made Elise bite her lip in
chagrin, for she had seen that her attack on Azalea was not approved of
by most of the audience.

Poor Elise was of an unfortunate disposition, and envy and jealousy were
her besetting sins. She had never liked Azalea for the reason that the
Western girl, with her frank, untutored ways, often usurped Elise's
place in the limelight, and Miss Farrington greatly objected to that.

It was with malicious purpose that Elise had brought up the subject of
the sampler, and when she found it passed over as of little moment, she
was angry at herself for having raised the question at all.

"Don't try to be like me," she said, with an acid smile at Azalea; "if
you do, _nobody_ will like you."

"Oh, come, now, Elis