The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-11-15
"Well, no, not out of nv room.

You see, papa and the boys hate those
| loose things so-most men do, [
guess. Besides, there are good
many of us and only one servant, so
1 am pretty busy helping mother
mornings. If / didn't dress before
breakfast, l shouldn't get time after
ward. You don't have to do any
thing but amuse yourself, do you,
you lucky old dear?"
Nell did not have much to say. She
was looking doubtful.
By Monday morning the family had
already fallen into the habit of lin
gering at the breakfast table. There
was much to linger for. Three times
in succession Mr.. Howard had put his
coffee down untasted, to laugh
heartily at lively skirmish between
Preston Ellis and Jean Fairfax.
'Would you two mind suspending
hostilities for few moments?''
queried Tom. 81 should like to plan
little gadding. How about a tally
no party for Thursday? We don't
own one of those swell things our
selves, but I know of first-class one
we could hire, and. pretend we owned
it when once we We're out of town."
ooh, good!"
Nell's eyes shone with excitement,
but Tom suddenly looked doubtful.
ooh. I'm so sorry, sis. l really for
got you," he said, contritely. care
you sure you could stand it? It's a
long ride, you know, and YOU might
find it firing"
''Why, of course I could stand it,!
What nonsense!" Nell turned to her
brother in incredulous astonishment.
Swell, if you really think it
wouldn't exhaust you, he said, du-
biously. Then, turning to the others,
he added, in grave explanation:
"You see, Nell's health has been
very delicate since her return from
school. 1 suppose she studied too
hard, but she seems all Worn out
| just hangs around without any ambi-
ton at all, and we want her to be in
better shape before she goes back
He said it with such frank inno-
cence of manner, and turned toward
her with such touchingly solicitous
air, that it was out of the question
to take exception to this remarkable
statement. Nells cheeks burned as
she remembered that she had never
looked plumper and healthier in her
life. She felt a hysterical desire to
laugh as Billy Ellis turned to her
with a wondering, ''Is that so? Why
now, that's too bad" But, after all,
it was no laughing matter. Billy was
rejecting that it was extremely dis
appointing that Toms pretty sister
should be one of the eternally tired
kind.
well, then, the tally-ho goes for
Thursdays" continued Tom, equally.
"And Billy and were saying yester-
day that it would be jolly to have
an all-day, out-of-doors, do-as-you-
please trip down the river, sort OF
picnic with modern improvements
We could invite few people we
know, besides ourselves. and take a
load of things for the inner man
How about that, mother? Is Katie
too busy? Would it be much trouble
row?"
eff it is going to make Mrs. How
ard any trouble" announced Billy
Ellis, decidedly, sit won't come off
and that settles it,"
"Why, I can do it," quickly inter.
posed Nellie. Mother needn't dc
anything"
eyes, and I'll help. Mrs. Howard
mustn't do single thing but sit il
a big chair and give orders. Nell an6
1 can do it all.''
Jean nodded her head conclusively
as she made this statement, bu1
Toms anxious gaze was again BEN
on his sister.
Don't be reckless, sis. There vii
be lot of extra cooking to do, you
know, and it might give you one O
your headaches. I know you used tt
make cakes and things, but your,
not used to it now, and we don't wan
you to overdo yourself
30 Tom, how utterly ridiculous
Why, l am just as well as-as yol
) are!"
Nell tried to speak lightly, but sh'
could have cried then and there. /
was too humiliating for plump, ros,
girl OF 10 to be held up before stran
gers as a detected invalid.
TOMS medicine was by no mean
exhausted; in fact, he considered tina
his heroic treatment was but jus
begun, but Mrs. Howard had keene
eyes than he for signals of distress
and she felt that Nell had been pun
ished enough. Her eyes conveyed
quiet warning to Tom, who respond
ed CALAMITY and led the conversatio,
to less personal topics.
When Mrs. Howard went into TIL
kitchen a few moments later, sh
found her daughter and Jean alread
, there, attired in voluminous apron.
Katie, more than ever busy with thi
houseful of young people on he
hands, had thankfully improved TIL
opportunity to slip upstairs. Ne
, was busy collecting materials for he
; cakes, but there We're signs of