I tell you! It's the most awful thing I ever did in my life, in a
WAY," she interrupted herself to say more soberly. Her voice died
away, and her eyes grew dreamy.

Mrs. Salisbury's heart, rising giddily to heaven on a swift rush of
thanks, felt a cold check.

"How do you mean awful, dear?" she said apprehensively.

"Well, wait, and I'll tell you," Alexandra said, recalled and
dimpling again. "I met Jim Vance and Owen this morning at about
twelve, and Jim simply got red as a beet, and vanished--poor Jim!"
The girl paid the tribute of a little sigh to the discarded suitor.
"So then Owen asked me to lunch with him--right there in the Women's
exchange, so it was quite comme il faut, Mother," she pursued, "and,
my dear! he told me, as calmly as THAT!--that he might go to New
York when Jim goes--Jim's going to visit a lot of Eastern
relatives!--so that he, Owen I mean, could study some Eastern
settlement houses and get some ideas--"

"I think the country is going mad on this subject of settlement
houses, and reforms, and hygiene!" Mrs. Salisbury said, with some
sharpness. "However, go on!"

"Well, Owen spoke to me a little about--about Jim's liking me, you
know," Alexandra continued. "You know Owen can get awfully red and
choky over a thing like that," she broke off to say animatedly. "But
to-day he wasn't--he was just brotherly and sweet. And, Mother, he
got so confidential, you know, that I simply PULLED my courage
together, and I determined to talk honestly to him. I clasped my