I said. "Now let's go have dinner. I'm starving."

I caught May's hand, and ran to get away from them. Father and mother
walked one on each side of Shelley, while with both hands she held her
letters before her. When we reached the house we just talked about
them all the time. Pretty soon the boys were back, and then they told
about sending the telegram. Leon vowed he gave the operator a dime
extra to start that message with a shove, so it would go faster.

"It will go all right," said Laddie, "and how it will go won't be a
circumstance to the way he'll come. If there's anything we ought to
do, before he gets here, we should hustle. Chicago isn't a thousand
miles away. That message can reach him by two o'clock, it's probable
he has got ready while he was waiting, so he will start on the first
train our way. He could reach Groveville on the ten, to-morrow. We
better meet it."

"Yes, we'll meet it," said mother. "Is the carriage perfectly clean?"

Father said: "It must be gone over. Our general manager here ordered
me to speed up, and we drove a little coming from town."

Mother went to planning what else should be done.

"Don't do anything!" cried Shelley. "The house is all right. There's
no need to work and worry into a sweat. He won't notice or care how
things look."

"I miss my guess if he doesn't notice and care very much indeed," said
mother emphatically. "Men are not blind. No one need think they don't
see when things are not as they should be, just because they're not
cattish enough to let you know it, like a woman always does. Shelley,
wouldn't you like to ride over and spend the afternoon with the
Princess?"

"Nope!" said Shelley. "It's her turn to come to see me. Besides, you
don't get me out of the way like that. I know what you'll do here, and
I intend to help."

"Do you need one of the boys at the house?" asked father, and if you'll
believe it, both of them wanted to stay.

Father said he must have one to help wash the carriage and do a little
fixing around the barn; so he took Leon, but he didn't like to go. He
said: "I don't see what all this fuss is about, anyway. Probably
he'll be another Peter."

Shelley looked at him: "Oh Mr. Paget isn't nearly so large as Peter,"
she said, "and his hair is whiter than yours, while his eyes are not so
blue."

"Saints preserve us!" cried Leon. "Come on, father, let's only dust
the carriage! He's not worth washing it for."

"