Polly and the Princess | Page 7

on Mrs. Beers's left. "They should be made to realize how fortunate they are to have such a beautiful Home to live in, instead of finding fault with every little thing and sending people to try to wheedle us into giving them something different from what they have."
"Oh, Mrs. Puddicombe!" burst out Polly, "Miss Sterling didn't send me at all! She doesn't know a thing about it! I never thought of coming in until I passed the door--then it occurred to me that maybe you would like to help her out. It's pretty hard to have to go to a wedding with your hair all flat, just as they do it at a hospital--I don't believe you'd like it yourself, Mrs. Puddicombe."
Several smiles were visible. A titter escaped the youngest member.
Mrs. Puddicombe's broad face reddened under her amazing labyrinth of screwlike curls.
"These charity people," she resumed irrelevantly, "never know when they're well off. Why, this Home is the very gate of heaven! Just look at that new rug in the library--it cost three hundred dollars! But who appreciates it?"
"Well, I should rather walk over a thirty-cent rug than every time I turned round have to have a rule to turn by!" Polly tossed out the words impetuously.
"You're a saucy girl!" returned Mrs. Puddicombe. "You'd better go home and tell your father to teach you good manners." The president rapped for order.
"I beg your pardon, if I was saucy," Polly hastened to say. "I didn't mean to be. I was only thinking--"
"That will do," interrupted Mrs. Beers. "There has been too much time given to a very trivial matter."
Polly walked away from the June Holiday Home in the company of uneasy thoughts. She feared she had made matters worse for her dear Miss Nita.

CHAPTER IV
A JUNE HOLIDAY
The wedding night brought no recall of the negative answer which Miss Sniffen had given to Juanita Sterling, although the little woman hoped until the last moment for some sign of relenting.
But Polly was on hand to braid the thick, soft hair into a becoming coronet, and to assert that she knew the bride wouldn't look half so pretty.
Several days after, Polly danced in, her face full of the morning.
"You feel pretty well, don't you?" she began in her most coaxing way.
"A little better than usual," Miss Sterling laughed. "What do you want me to do?"
"You know David and Leonora and I went down to Fern Brook last week," Polly began deliberately, seating herself in the rocker which Miss Sterling did not like, "and ever since then I've been wishing it would come a lovely day for you and me to have a little picnic all by ourselves. Or we might ask one or two others, if you like. Will you, Miss Nita? You'll break my heart if you say no--I see it coming! Just say, 'I should be de-e-lighted to go!'"
"Oh, I'd love to, but--"
"No, there isn't a 'but' or an 'if' or anything! We're going! Who else do you want?"
"You crazy child! I'm afraid it will use me up. I don't dare risk it. We'll have to take the trolley--and the walk across lots--oh, I can't, Polly!"
"Yes, you're going! I've made up my mind! The trolley ride won't hurt you; you'll have nothing to do but to sit still, and the walk isn't long."
"Remember, I haven't been off the grounds, except for the wedding, in months."
"I don't forget, and it's awful. You felt better the day after the wedding."
"Ye-s, but--"
"We're going! It's decided!" Polly jumped up. "Say quick who we'll invite, and then I'll run down and beg permission to go on a picnic--unless you'd rather."
"Mercy--no! I guess that's one reason why I haven't been away; I haven't had life enough to want to unwind red tape."
"I shall love it," laughed Polly. "Shall we ask Mrs. Albright? She's nice."
"Yes, and how would you like Mrs. Adlerfeld? I think she's pretty lonely."
"First-rate! She is sweet, and she talks the dearest way. Hurry up now, and get ready! I'll be back in no time with the passports."
"Why, I don't know," Miss Sniffen hesitated, "How far is it, do you say?"
"We take the trolley out to Grafton Street," Polly explained slowly, "and then we go 'cross lots just a little way to the dearest grove and a lovely little brook that tumbles over the stones--oh, it's beautiful! Can't you go with us, Miss Sniffen?" cried Polly in a burst of generosity, shivering the next minute for fear her invitation would be accepted!
"No, thank you," actually smiled the superintendent; "my business doesn't include picnics, and I doubt whether it would be wise for Miss Sterling to go so far away from the Home. It might cause trouble--and unnecessary expense; the others may go if they wish."
"Oh, Miss Sniffen, please let Miss Sterling go! That's one reason why