The banquet ended and they came
away together, the four of them, the
brothers arm in arm, smoking, talk
ing, the sisters-in-law left to each
other.
'Tm so sorry, Marla," Evelina
whispered. “Miss Cooper brought
my dress home at the last moment,
and I derided to wear it instead of
yours. Then 1 ran all the way over
to your house to return your dress
and found you gone. Miss Pratt, next
door, said you'd gone to the banquet.
Imagine how I felt! ,1 took the dress
hack home. Os course, it all made me j
late. I'm glad I didn't wear it. Per
rival would hare been angry, wouldn’t
he?"
"He’d never have forgiven me,”
Maria answered. "All the same, as
you say I can't wear gray. I'm gray
enough as it is.”
"But you’re a lovely gray, like the
dress. Marla. All you need Is a little
stirring up, a little excitement. You
must get out more. You’ll have to I
now that Percival is being taken such I
notice of. And really, you know. I
think if you used a touch of rouge and
powder and waved your hair you'd
look like—like —well, you’d be quite
handsome.” ,
They were l'-nn' 1 "- ” ords and Maria
was grateful for them.
hy on eartn ...un’t you wear
your new dress?” Percival demanded
when they reached home.
Maria patted his shoulder.
"I will next time. dear. You’ll see,”
she repeated.
And she did. Moreover, she looked
neither ghostlike or mothlike. With
hair like beaten silver, pink- cheeks
and a look of joy in her eyes, she was
i so pretty that, as Percival told her
afterward, he couldn't keep his eyes
off her.
(Copyright.
THE END.
