till charming rendering, the music having been
adapted more nearly to music-hall ragtime. When he had announced to
her what he had known from the first--that she was to go upon the stage
with it--Elsie had been so elated that Miss Pritchard had been
powerless before her. She couldn't be a wet blanket; neither, however,
could she force herself to express any gratification.

And when first she had seen this last member of her family before the
footlights of the cheap little theatre, with the bad air, the mixed
audience, and the poor pictures, she felt she couldn't endure it. The
image of the stately, aristocratic Aunt Ellen Pritchard rose before her
vision, overwhelmingly severe and reproachful. It would actually have
killed her to witness once what Julia Pritchard had to witness every
night for two weeks--or so she thought at first.

On this Saturday night when the engagement was extended, they were
later than usual in getting to their carriage. Elsie was wrapped
snugly in the rose-colored opera-cloak. Her eyes were very bright, her
cheeks flushed. She had not really required any make-up, but they had
insisted upon deepening the color of her lips and darkening the lower
eye-lids. Miss Pritchard, too depressed to force any semblance of
cheerfulness, saw her dimples appear and disappear in happy reverie.
She sighed. Through it all, the child was absolutely enchanting to her.

Elsie, catching the sigh, snuggled up to her.

"Oh, Cousin Julia, I'm so happy, so happy I'm afraid I'll just burst
like a circus balloon. Oh, dear darling, you're so good to me. And I
suppose you're sick to death of the same old thing, and dread the
thought of another week of it."

As a matter of fact, Miss Pritchard was as captivated by the song
specialty as any of the audience. She confessed that it wore well.
"But, oh, Elsie," she couldn't forbear adding, "I do wish you weren't
going to have another week in that cheap place."

"Oh, but Cousin Julia, one can't begin at the top," remonstrated the
girl. "Why, I'm the luckiest guy ever was. How much do you suppose
I'm going to get for this next week?"

Miss Pritchard had no heart for guessing. The sum the girl mentioned
was indeed surprising, but it only seemed to remove her further from
her and from the family they both represented.

"I should be only too glad to do it for the experience alone," Elsie
rattled on, "and of course what I get is only what is over and above
what th