The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-02-09
CHAPTER HI-continued.

mot on your life" said Carol
promptly and emphatically hes worse
than Prudence. Like as not he'd give
me a good thrashing into the bargain.
No-Im strong for Prudence when it
comes to punishment-in preference
to father, / mean. 1 can't seem to be
fond of any kind of punishment from
anybody"
For a while Carol was much de-
pressed, but by nature she was a buoy
ant soul, and her spirits were presently
soaring again.
In the meantime, the Ladies of the
Aid society continued to arrive. Pru-
dence and Fairy, freshly gowned and
smiling-faced, received them with cor
diality and many merry words. 1t was
not difficult for them; they had been
reared in the hospitable atmosphere of
Methodist parsonages, where, if you
have but two dishes of oatmeal, the
outsider is welcome to one. That is
Carols description of parsonage life.
But Prudence was concerned to OBJ
serve that a big easy chair placed well
back in a secluded corner, seemed to
be giving dissatisfaction. It was Mrs.
Adams who sat there first. She
squirmed quite a little, and seemed to
be gripping the arms of the chair with
unnecessary fervor. Presently she
stammered an excuse, and, rising, went
into the other room. After that, Mrs.
Miller, then Mrs. Jack, Mrs. Norey,
and Mrs. Beed, in turn, sat there-and
did not stay. Prudence was quite ago
nized. Had the awful twins filed it
with needles for the reception of the
poor Ladies? At first opportunity she
hurried into the secluded corner, intent
upon trying the chair for herself. She
sat down ~anxiously. Then she gasped
and clutched frantically at the arm of
the chair. For she discovered at once
to her dismay that the chair was bot
tomless, and that only by hanging on
for her life could she keep from drop
ping through.
Up rose Prudence, c~onscientiously
pulling after her the thin cushion
which had concealed the chairs short
coming. 'Look, Fairy!" she cried.
did you take the bottom out of this
chair? 1t must have been horribly un-
comfortable for those who have sat
there! However did it happenT"
Fairy was frankly amazed, and a
little inclined to be amused.
TASK the twins" she said tersely (;
II know nothing about it."
At that moment, the luckless Carol
went running through the hall. Pru-
dence knew it was she, without seeing,
because she had a peculiar skipping
run that was quite characteristic and
u~nmistakable.
"Carol! !" she called.
And Carol paused.
Carroll" more ~imperatively.
Then Carol slowly opened the door
she was a parsonage girl and rose to
the occasion. She smiled winsomely-
Carol was nearly always winsome.
slow do you do?" she said brightly.
"1sn't it a lovely day? Did you call
me, P~rudenceT"
"YeS. Do you know where the bot
tom of that chair has gomez"
"Why no, neutrality-suspicious. That
chair why. l didn't know you were
going to bring that chair in here.
Why-oh, I am 10 sorry! Why in the
world didn't you tell us beforehand
Some of the Ladies smiled. Others
lifted their brows and shoulders in a
mildly suggestive way, that Prudence,
after nineteen years in the parsonage,
had learned to know and dread.
sand where is the c~hair-bottom
now?" she inquired. Sand why did
you take it,"
"Why, we wanted to make"
"You and Lark"
"Well, yes-but 1t was really all my
fault, you know. We wanted to make
a seat up high In the peach tree, and
the bottom off the chair was just fine
It's a perfectly adorable seat" bright
ening, but SOLDERING again as she real
lied the gravity of the occasion. sand
"A