Rosemary | Page 9

she'd change her dress."
"Crying in Mother's room--what for?" demanded Doctor Hugh quickly.
"Oh, because memories were too much for her," quoted Rosemary
solemnly. "She made Shirley and me cry, too, but Sarah went down
stairs when she tried to kiss her, so she didn't hear her talk."
"I'll give Sarah credit for good sense," said Doctor Hugh grimly.
He strode down the hall to his mother's room, took the key from the
inside and locked the door and dropped the key in his pocket.
"And that's that," he announced, smiling a little at Rosemary's puzzled
face.
CHAPTER IV
DR. HUGH TAKES COMMAND
Miss Wright appeared at dinner in rustling black silk, and kissed Dr.
Hugh affectionately. In her plump arms she carried three packages.
"I brought each of the girls a box of French chocolates," she explained,
smiling. "They're simply delicious and there is just one shop in town

which imports them."
Rosemary dimpled as she untied her package, Shirley shrieked with
glee and even Sarah's "thank you, Aunt Trudy" had an unusual depth of
warmth in it. Two-pound boxes of chocolates did not appear at dinner
every day.
Dr. Hugh put down his carving knife as Shirley lifted the lid from her
beribboned box.
"I think I'll have to take charge of these boxes," he said quietly. "Aunt
Trudy is very generous to remember you so bountifully, but I can not
let you make yourselves sick. I'll keep them carefully for you in the
office and you may have a safe number every day I promise you."
"Oh, Hugh!" Rosemary's voice was reproachful.
"I won't be sick," said Shirley with cheerful confidence.
Sarah did not speak, but she thrust her box under the edge of the
tablecloth.
"It's perfectly pure candy, Hugh, and won't hurt them," Miss Wright
assured him briskly.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I believe that the purest and most expensive candy
taken in sufficient amount, will upset the digestion of an ostrich," said
Doctor Hugh firmly. "Put the boxes on the serving table till after dinner,
Rosemary."
"And I hope you'll keep 'em under lock and key," observed Winnie as
she passed the creamed potatoes. "Sarah will be eating chocolates for
breakfast if there's none to interfere with her."
Winnie considered herself a member of the family, as indeed she was,
and she frequently took part in the table conversation except when there
were strange guests present.
Rosemary gathered up the boxes and put them on the side table and

dinner proceeded pleasantly enough. Aunt Trudy was a social soul and
seldom at a loss for something to say. She sat in the absent mother's
place and beamed upon the little circle, Dr. Hugh across from her,
Rosemary at his right, Shirley next to her and on the other side of the
round table, Sarah the silent. Sarah was certainly a child of few words
and she was never troubled by any idea that something might be
expected from her in the way of a contribution to the general talk.
To-night she sat stolidly, her dark eyes roving now and then to the
candy boxes which were behind Rosemary.
"So you're going to practice right here in Eastshore, Hugh?" Miss
Wright was saying as Winnie brought in the salad, "your mother wrote
me, before she was ill, that you expected to take Doctor Jordan's office;
has he retired?"
"No, not retired exactly," answered Hugh, "but he is planning to take a
long and much-needed vacation. He left for Maine this afternoon. We
both thought it better for many reasons to make no change in the
office--I'll take his just as he left it. Of course I'll have some kind of a
place here, too, but not many patients will call here."
Sarah created a diversion by pushing back her plate and slipping down
from her chair.
"Where are you going, dear?" her aunt asked in surprise. "Don't you
want any dessert?"
"No, it's cornstarch pudding," said Sarah calmly.
Miss Wright apparently accepted the explanation, but Doctor Hugh
spoke sharply.
"Sarah, come back here--dinner isn't over yet."
Sarah stopped and faced him defiantly.
"I don't want any pudding," she declared, scowling. "Winnie knows I
don't like it and she always makes it."

"Come back and sit down and wait until you are excused--" Doctor
Hugh's level gaze seemed to draw the rebellious Sarah back to her chair.
"If you don't care for the pudding you needn't eat it, but don't criticise
anything that is placed before you."
His staccato tones seemed to have a tonic effect on Sarah, for she ate
the pudding when it came, without further discussion. But the moment
her aunt rose from the table, she made a bee-line for the candy boxes.
"It's mine, Aunt Trudy gave it to me," she insisted when her brother