the nasturtium bed.

"Yes, Mrs. Merriam." It was Tess who answered. Missy's heart, an anxious
lump in her throat, hindered speech.

"For heaven's sake! What next?" ejaculated Aunt Nettie.

Mrs. Merriam regarded the nasturtiums for a second longer before she
brought her eyes back to the two young faces and broke the tense hush.

"What made you think you wanted to give a dinner-party?"

Oh, rapture! Missy's heart subsided an inch, and she drew a long breath.
But she wisely let Tess do the replying.

"Oh, everything in Cherryvale's so passe' and ennuye'. We want to do
something novel--something really distingue'--if you know what I mean."

"I believe I do," replied Mrs. Merriam gravely.

"Dis-tinn-gwy!" repeated Aunt Nettie. "Well, if you ask me--" But Mrs.
Merriam silenced her sister with an unobtrusive gesture. She turned to
the two petitioners.

"You think an evening dinner would be--distinngwy?"

"Oh, yes--the way we've planned it out!" affirmed Tess. She, less
diffident than Missy, was less reserved in her disclosures. She went on
eagerly: "We've got it all planned out. Five courses: oyster cocktails;
Waldorf salad; veal loaf, Saratoga chips, devilled eggs, dill pickles,
mixed pickles, chow-chow and peach pickles: heavenly hash; and ice-cream
with three kinds of cake. And small cups of demitasse, of course."

"Three kinds of cake?"

"Well," explained Tess, "you see Beula and Beth and Kitty all want cake
for their share--they say their mothers won't be bothered with anything
else. We're dividing the menu up between us, you know."

"I see. And what have you allotted to Missy?"

Missy herself found courage to answer this question; Mother's grave
inquiries were bringing her intense relief.

"I thought maybe I could furnish the heavenly hash, Mother."

"Heavenly hash?" Mother looked perplexed. "What's that?"

"I don't know," admitted Missy. "But I liked the name--it's so alluring.
Beulah suggested it--I guess she knows the recipe."

"I think it's all kinds of fruit chopped together," volunteered Tess.

"But aren't you having a great deal of fruit--and pickles?" suggested
Mrs. Merriam mildly.

"Oh, well," explained Tess, rather grandly, "at a swell function you
don't have to have many substantial viands, you know."

"Oh, I nearly forgot--this is to be a swell function."

"Yes, the real thing," said Tess proudly. "Potted palms and hand-painted
place-cards and orchestra music and candle shades and eve