contrasting as sharply with its shabby leather as her warm youth did with the judge’s withered look. He watched her with keen, appreciating eyes. Algernon in his corner read on, and Catherine thought best not to disturb him. Men found it harder to meet Algernon on fair ground than women did.

The judge asked a pertinent question or two as Catherine unfolded the great scheme; then he drew a check-book from under a broken-backed dictionary.

21“There is another twenty-five for your project,” he said, as he signed his name with a flourish surprisingly big for so cramped a little man; “and the room is at your disposal for six months, rent free. I would have it cleaned, but you seem to delight in doing such work yourself. I can assure you that the Three R’s will back you up. The next meeting is called for a week from to-day.”

Catherine’s face wore its blithest smile. “You are a dear to do so much,” she declared. “I was sure you’d be interested. If you ever want any cleaning done, anywhere, please let me do it!”

Algernon had to be aroused almost forcibly, and Catherine carried him away, still so lost in the article on the jury system he had been reading that he could not quite take in the wonderful success of the call. He followed Catherine’s eager steps to the little square frame building a few blocks up Main Street, and turned the key she gave him. It was a dingy little room, all dirt and cobwebs. A few old straw hats and wire frames piled among some big green boxes indicated the last occupant’s business, and a scurrying of tiny feet, only too clearly, the present occupants’ nature. Catherine lifted her nose in dainty scorn, and her skirts in private apprehension.

“We shall have to get a lot of girls and come down here to-morrow and clean up; but let’s get out for now,” she said, and Algernon consented.

22They strolled along the street till they came to the little park, and there, sitting on its one green bench, talked over their list of assets.

“I keep having ideas all the time,” cried Catherine. “Listen! We must go over to Hampton and visit the library there, and find out how they do things. When can you?”

“Any time. I was just thinking I must ask Mr. Morse to give us a good write-up.”

“Of course. He’ll be interested. Let’s go over now. Or perhaps you’d better go alone. I don’t know him, and I never was in a newspaper office.”

“Afraid of the devil?” jested Algernon, getting up and leaving her. Catherine watched him disappear into the office across the street.

“He walks better already,” she thought with pride. “And he never made such a frivolous remark as that before. I do think this library will be the making of Algernon.”

Back he came in a minute or two, with a promise of plenty of space in the Courier, and a free atlas.

“One they had in the office, of course; but we ought to have one, and every little helps. He was awfully interested and said it would be a fine thing for the town, and he’d boost every way he could.”

“Aren’t people lovely?” sighed Catherine rapturously. “I believe even Miss Ainsworth was more enthusiastic than she appeared to be. And we haven’t even mentioned it to the Boat Club yet.”

23“Or the Three R’s. They are chiefly Boat Club fathers and mothers.”

“We must see the school superintendent.”

“The ministers will announce it in the churches.”

“Yes, we must see them to-morrow. O dear, I am so tired! What time is it anyway?”

Algernon drew a big watch from his pocket.

“Six-fifteen.”

Catherine started up in horror.

“O! And I forgot all about helping with supper. What will mother think?”

Algernon watched her hasten away up the hill, and turned toward his own home with some anxiety. He had to coax his mother to take an interest in the new undertaking, and wished the operation over, but he squared his shoulders and determined to do his best and do it that very evening.

Catherine, for her part, spent the evening discussing the plan with her already sympathetic mother.

“It almost takes my breath away, Mother dear,” she confided as they sat on the porch in the dusk, watching the fireflies, “the way people fall in with suggestions. It didn’t occur to me before that I could start things going. But at college I had only to see that something should be done, and then to say so; and it almost always was done. And I was more surprised than anybody!”

Dr. Helen smiled, and put out her hand to stroke Catherine’s head, which rested on her knee.

24“They were pretty good ideas, I judge.”

“They were perfectly simple ones. Just little things like having the mail-boxes assigned alphabetically, instead of by the numbers of the rooms. It saved the mail girls a lot of work, and Miss Watkins was glad of the suggestion. I helped Alice sort mail, you know,–she does it to help pay her way. And then the little notices on the bulletin board were always getting lost under the big ones, and I was on a Students’ committee and often had notices to post, and I got them to make a rule that all notices should be written on a certain size sheet, and the board looks much neater now. And then there weren’t any door-blocks. Aunt Clara told me that they had them at Vassar, little pads hanging outside your door, with a pencil attached, and if you are out, your callers leave their messages, you know. It seemed as though we needed something like that, for some of us don’t like walking into people’s rooms, and hunting around for paper. So I started that, and they all took it up in no time. They were only little things, but it was remembering a lot of little things like that that made me dare try to get the library. It’s what we need, and I do believe it’s going to come easily.”

“Mr. Kittredge asked me to-day if I thought you would take the infant class in the Sunday-school for the summer. Mrs. Henley is to be away. I told him I’d ask you.” Dr. Helen waited.

25Catherine was silent a moment.

“Do you know, Mother, it seems as though you just get started doing one thing and you see another one ahead of you. If I am going around asking every one to help the library, I don’t see how I can refuse to help when I’m asked! But I never did teach anybody. Who is in the class?”

“I asked him that. He says some of the children are rather old for it, but the school is too small, or rather the teachers are too few, to make another class. So the ages run from the Osgood twins–”

“O, Peter and Perdita! I do love them. They are such a droll little pair. I beg your pardon, dear. I didn’t mean to interrupt. From Peter and Perdita to–to Elsmere, possibly?”

Dr. Helen laughed. “Exactly! Could you undertake Elsmere?”

Catherine sat up straight. “Yes, I could. Elsmere is unlucky, just as Algernon is. Everybody expects to be bored by Algernon and bothered or shocked by Elsmere. I know he is a little ‘limb o’ Satan,’ but if I’m going to take one brother on my shoulders, I might as well take them both. When does Mr. Kittredge want me to begin?”

“Not this week. You can go and see Mrs. Henley and talk it over with her. You’re showing a fine public spirit, Daughter mine, but let me suggest that you really can’t do much work for the town this summer, especially if you expect to entertain 26 guests! I don’t approve of vacations that are busier than the school year!”

“O, the library won’t take long to start, if it starts at all. And Algernon will run it and his being busy will give me several extra hours weekly!