Keineth Part 26

Keineth's face was aglow.

"Could the little home be near Peggy?"

Her father nodded. "For a while, anyway."

"And could I go to school with Peggy?"

"Yes, I want you with your friends."

"And you'd have time to play with me?"

"Lots of time--I'd take it! That was part of my dream."

"Oh, Daddy, I like that picture lots best! Only--" She suddenly recalled what her father had said. "It would be such a great honor for you to be in the President's Cabinet! And he told me I must make you!"

"Keineth, dear, that honor would not mean half as much to me as the joy of serving my fellowmen through my writing! We'll show the President the two pictures--I know he will understand!"

Still Keineth hesitated. "Would we--would we have to have Aunt Josephine?" Then she added, as though a little ashamed, "but Aunt Josephine can be awfully jolly when--she forgets."

"Forgets what, child?"

"Oh, that--that she's so--so rich!" Keineth stammered.

John Randolph laughed. "We'll have her part of the time and maybe we can make her--forget."

"You have decided, you are very sure?" he asked after a moment, and he swept his hand toward the nearby buildings of the city as though to remind her of the interesting life that might lie there.

But Keineth's s.h.i.+ning eyes saw a vision beyond them--long, happy days with Daddy and Peggy and the others; a home, too; real school days, such as she had never known in her life--perhaps another summer at Fairview.

"I'd love Was.h.i.+ngton, but--I like your dream best, Daddy!" she answered.

"I knew you would! And now, kitten, what do you say to finding Peggy and her father and going somewhere to have some cakes and hot chocolate?"

Through the soft April sunlight they went towards the White House and the thronging streets. Keineth walked quickly, eager to find Peggy and tell her everything! How glad Peg would be!

She hummed a few notes without realizing that it was a strain from her own music! She stopped suddenly and lifted laughing eyes to her father's face.

"Isn't it funny, Daddy? I called my music 'The Castle of Dreams'! We were both dreaming the same dream!"

"And we're going to have our Castle, Keineth!"