Lucile Triumphant Part 4

"Well, what----" began Jessie, and Evelyn, glancing at her astonished face, broke into a shout of laughter.

"Oh, Lucy, come and see what you've done," she gasped. "Oh, Jessie, I never saw you look so funny, and that's saying a good deal."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," said Jessie, icily, though there was a twinkle in her eye. "Not having a mirror, I'm afraid I can't join in the joke."

"No, you are the joke," countered Evelyn.

Jessie's natural sweet temper was fast becoming ruffled by this rapid fire and she had opened her mouth for a sharp retort when Lucile came running out.

"What's the matter?" she cried, gaily, and then, at sight of Jessie's face, she stopped.

"Overdose of hammers," she diagnosed, then wisely changed the subject.

"If we don't hurry up, the girls will be here before we have a chance to say anything at all about Mrs. Wescott."

She perched herself upon the railing beside Jessie and soon they had forgotten all momentary animosity in an animated discussion.

Five minutes later Lucile exclaimed, "Here come Marj., Ruth and Margaret now. I wonder where the rest of them are."

"Welcome to our city," said Jessie. "We have great news for you strangers."

"So we imagined." It was Marjorie Hanlan, a tall, dark, good-looking girl, who answered.

"I couldn't sleep, wondering what you wanted," chimed in Margaret, the little girl who had been lame, but now was just like other girls.

"And we have all been so happy about you, Margaret, since Lucy told us the specialist said you were cured," broke in Evelyn.

"Isn't it great?" said Marjorie. "Margaret was telling us about it on the way up. It seems almost miraculous."

Margaret flushed happily. "Oh, the doctors say there is nothing miraculous about it. They say all I wanted was the exercise and healthy outdoor life. But I know who really did it," she added, putting her arm about Lucile. "It was you girls--yes it was," she insisted, as they started to protest. "You were the first I can remember--except father, of course--who treated me like a human being and not a curiosity. And, oh I'm so grateful and happy," she ended.

Lucile patted the brown head on her shoulder.

"You give us altogether too much credit, Margaret, dear," she said, unsteadily. "It was Miss Howland that thought of it in the first place, and after we knew you we just couldn't help loving you for yourself and wanting to help."

"That's right," cried the girls, heartily.

Margaret glanced around at the sober faces of her friends and, although her eyes were still wet, there was a little hint of raillery in her voice:

"Well, I did think you girls had something to do with it, but since you say you didn't, we'll have to call it a miracle, after all."

The girls laughed a trifle shakily and Evelyn added, "But there's our guardian, you know."

"Oh, yes," said Margaret, and her voice was very tender. "Of course, there's our guardian. I don't know what we'd ever do without her."

"Well, we've had to get along without her for almost six months," Ruth broke in, a trifle pettishly.

"Yes; I wonder if we'll ever see her again," said Marjorie. "We were getting along so splendidly when that Mr. Wescott----"

"Oh, don't be too hard on him," cautioned Lucile. "If we loved her so much, we couldn't blame him for doing the same thing."

"I know, but if he'd only waited two or three years," mourned Marjorie.

"He came a good deal too soon, and now I don't suppose we'll ever see her again."

The three conspirators exchanged significant glances and Lucile cried, merrily, "Perhaps you'll change your tune in a little while," and just as the girls were about to demand the meaning of this strange remark, she added, "Here come the rest of them now," and flew down to welcome them.

"What on earth----" began Marjorie, and then stopped as the remaining girls of the camp-fire Aloea, six in all, for they had added two to their number since the spring before, ran up on the porch, all talking at once and making such a noise that her voice was drowned.

It was quite some time before order was restored and Marjorie could again demand an explanation.

"Now that we are all here, Lucy," she said, "suppose you tell us what you meant by that speech of yours."

"What speech?" said Lucile, for she had forgotten it in the excitement of welcoming the new arrivals. "I'll explain anything, but I have to know what it is first."

"Naturally," Marjorie agreed. "Perhaps you will remember that just before the girls came you spoke of our changing our tune, or something to that effect, in regard to Miss Howland."

"Mrs. Wescott, I suppose you mean?" Lucile inquired, blandly, "It seems to me I did say something like that. What would you like to know?"

"What you meant by it," shouted Marjorie, and Margaret added, "Go ahead, give it to us, Lucy. I have an idea that's what you called us here for."

"Smart child," approved Jessie, with an approving pat and nod of the head. "You're coming right along."

Margaret thrilled with a pleasure that was almost pain. "She never would have dared say that to me before," she cried to herself, exultantly. "She would have been too afraid of hurting me. Now I know I'm just like all the rest!"

CHAPTER IV

COUNTING THE HOURS

"You're right, Margaret," Lucile was saying. "I did call you all together just to speak of our guardian."

The girls leaned forward eagerly. "What about her?" they demanded.

"Oh, Lucy, don't keep us waiting," begged Marjorie. "Is she coming to Burleigh?"

"Not so fast," cried Lucile. "Give me half a chance. I haven't heard from our guardian personally, but Phil got a letter from Jim the other day and he said----" Lucile paused dramatically.

"Yes, yes; go on," they demanded, excitedly.

"And she said that Mr. and Mrs. Wescott were going to visit Burleigh very soon."

"Soon," cried Margaret. "That sounds good. Always before it's been something that was going to happen in the dim future."

"Did she say any special time, Lucy?" Ruth broke in, impatiently.

"No, there was nothing definite about it," said Lucile, "but I expect to hear from her almost any minute now."