Phyllis | Page 8

and ask her to have some one send him down by express as soon as possible."
Miss Carter was a gentle little lady, but when she made up her mind to a thing that thing was as good as accomplished.
"Oh, Auntie Mogs, that's awfully sweet of you," Janet said gratefully. "I know I'll miss him awfully."
"I never heard of such a thing," Phyllis protested. "We never dreamed you'd come without him. Why, I sent Sir Galahad to the hospital to have him out of the way until Boru got used to his new house."
"Oh, but you shouldn't have done that," Janet protested. "Poor kitty, he'll feel terribly abused."
"Well, he had a little cold and it really was the best place for him, and of course I can go and see him any time. The hospital is only around the corner. Tommy, what are you laughing at?"
"You two girls talk about your dog and cat just as if they were children. Are you going to make household pets of all my livestock when you come to the ranch next summer?"
"Of course," Phyllis and Janet answered, laughing.
"Now, don't bother Janet," Miss Carter interrupted before Phyllis could say anything more; "she is busy looking at the city, and I know she would rather do that than listen to you. We are on Fifth Avenue now, dear, and that lovely building on your right is Tiffany's."
Janet looked out of first one window and then the other. It was all very new and exciting to her. She had been to Boston several times, but Boston, beautiful city that it is, is not New York.
"It's awfully full, isn't it?" she said at last, and Tom laughed heartily.
"Don't you like it?" Phyllis asked in dismay.
"Oh, of course I do, but somehow I wish it would stand still for just a minute and give me a chance to look at it."
"I'm afraid it will never do that, my dear," Miss Carter laughed. "But you won't find it noisy where we are, and I know you will love the park."
"Do look," Phyllis pointed towards the west. "It's clearing, I knew it would and here's the park."
Central Park is a refreshing sight to see after the noise and confusion of the streets, and to Janet's eyes the soft green of the grass and the great trees, resplendent in their autumn dress, was comforting indeed. The sun was just visible between two sullen gray clouds, but it only peeked out for a minute and then as though it were depressed by what it saw, it hurried to bed.
"I don't blame it," Phyllis said, as she watched the last gleam of red fade into the clouds.
Janet nodded in perfect understanding. It was not the last time that, without the aid of words, the Page twins were to understand and share each other's thoughts.
The taxi drew up at the house at last, and Annie hurried to the side walk to help with bags. She was a servant that Miss Carter had had for many years and she was greatly excited over Janet's arrival.
Phyllis dashed up the stairs, pulling Janet behind her, and instead of waiting even for a minute in the living-room she hurried her up the second flight of stairs and threw open the door of her room.
"Oooooh!" Janet stood perfectly still and looked and looked. To Phyllis it seemed as though she were never going to speak, then at last she said, "Oh!" again and sank down on the soft bed.
"Like it?" Phyllis tried to make her voice sound cool, but she did not succeed in keeping the eagerness out of it.
"It's fairyland!" Janet exclaimed. "Oh, Phyllis, I never dreamed anything could be half so beautiful."
Phyllis gave a great sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that," she said, laughing, "and now come and see the rest of the house."
Janet followed from one charming room to another, but she was speechless until she came to the library--a big brown room, filled with books, low comfy chairs and shaded lamps.
"Phyllis, it's just too wonderful to be true!" she exclaimed.
"Well, it's not the Enchanted Kingdom,"--Phyllis laughed--"but we hope it will be a substitute."
For the rest of the day Janet tried to say some of the things that seemed to be bursting her heart. It was not as easy for her to enthuse as it was for Phyllis, but her eyes shone in the firelight as she sat beside Tommy on the sofa and listened to her aunt make plans for the coming week.
Phyllis need have had no fears, for there was not a moment spared in regret for the four-poster bed. How could there be, when such a pink and white nest awaited her? She undressed that night still in a half dream.
"Janet, have you gone to sleep yet?" Phyllis's voice called through the dark,