Through These Fires (Musaicum Romance Classics). Grace Livingston Hill

that the house?" asked a supercilious girl of seven, with a sneer on her lips and a frown on her brow. "Good night! That's not a house, that's a dump! What did you bring us here for, Elaine? We can't live in a tiny little place like that!"

      Then a boy of five blared out hatefully: "It's not a house, it's a dump! I ain't a-gonta live in a dump like that! Jeepers! You can't do that to me!"

      And a little girl of three began to cry and bawl out, "I wantta go home! I won't stay here! You're mean to bring us here!"

      "Shut up!" said the woman Lexie supposed was the nurse. "Don't you know your mother's sick?"

      "I don't care ‘f she is," roared the boy. "She hadn't ought to uv brought us here, an' I ain't a-gonta stay, so there!"

      Two of the neighbors who lived in houses across the street came curiously out to their doors and looked at the arrivals in amazement. Then seeing Lexie coming out to the gate hurriedly, they decided that these must be her new tenants and beat a hasty retreat indoors again, probably with sinking hearts at the prospect of such loudmouthed children for neighbors.

      But Lexie went quickly to the side of the taxi where her sister still lay back among pillows, wanly, and tried to manage a welcoming smile for her.

      "My dear!" she said, hoping her voice sounded cordial, at least to the nurse. "I was so sorry that I couldn't manage to meet you in the city—"

      "Yes?" said Elaine in her coldest, haughtiest tone. "I was, too. Such a jaunt as I've had coming out! I should think you might at least have managed to send some neighbor. Mr. Brotherton I'm sure would have been glad to come after me if you had asked him, but I know you never did like him. I couldn't understand why—" complained the sweet, drawling voice.

      "Sorry, Elaine, but Mr. Brotherton has moved away. Gone to Washington, doing something in a war job."

      "The very idea!" said Elaine, as if this was somehow her sister's fault. "Well, then, why didn't you ask Mr. Wilson, or Mr. Jackson? Their cars are old and shabby I suppose, but they would have done in a pinch."

      "Mr. Wilson's car has been sold," said Lexie coldly. "They couldn't afford to run it any longer in the present state of gas and tires, and Mr. Jackson works in a defense plant in the city and takes a lot of other workers with him to the plant in his car every morning. He doesn't return till 6 o'clock. And there isn't any other available car in the neighborhood. I'm sorry you had an uncomfortable ride, but now, I guess we should make some arrangements before you get out. You know, your telegram just caught me as I was about to leave for college, and I have the house all ready for renting, in case a tenant comes while I am gone. Things aren't very livable here, and I thought you might not care to stay. A great deal of the furniture is stored in the attic. I didn't know if you would want to go to a hotel in the city till you could make further arrangements."

      Lexie was talking fast, trying to get her ideas across before Elaine could interrupt. There was a shadow in her troubled eyes as she studied Elaine's face. Elaine did look white and drawn. There were dark circles under her eyes, too, and the old petulant pout to her lips grew into a decided sneer as she looked her sister down.

      "But you can't do that!" she said in her high, angry voice. "Rent the house! Want an idea! It's my home as well as yours, isn't it? You didn't ask my permission to rent it. Of course you couldn't get enough rent for this little dump away out here in the country anyway, to make it pay. Not enough for me to consent. After it was divided between us it would be nothing. And it will shelter us anyway. No, certainly not! I won't consent to renting! I'm going to stay right here and look into my father's affairs. I'm quite sure there was some money left to me, if your mother didn't use it up sending you in luxury to an expensive college! It's high time I looked after things!"

      Lexie's lips set firmly in a thin line, and two spots of angry color flew into her pale cheeks. But she couldn't stand here and fight, with this strange nurse and the taxi driver looking on. Besides the neighbors were coming back to their front doors to see what it was all about. Lexie took a deep breath and summoned her courage.

      "Very well," she said quietly. "Suppose we get you into the house then. I fixed a bed for you to lie down on in your old room. Can we get you upstairs?"

      "No," said Elaine crossly, "I'm not able to walk upstairs. Not unless the driver would carry me up."

      "No ma'am," spoke up the driver sharply. "I'm not allowed to stop long enough to do anything like that. Not unless you wantta pay me five dollars extra."

      "Oh dear! The idea! Well, what's the matter with the downstairs sitting room, Lexie? That was always a pleasant room anyway, and handier for carrying my meals, too."

      "Oh," gasped Lexie. "Why, there isn't anything in it. No bed. No furniture at all! It would take some time to get a bed downstairs and set it up. I don't believe I would be able to do that by myself either."

      "No furniture! How ridiculous! What have you done with the furniture? I hope you didn't have the temerity to sell any of it. I intend to pick out what I want of it first before that happens. You know it was all my father's anyway."

      "Oh no," said Lexie. "Some of it was Mother's. She used to tell me about the old rocking chair and bureau that were her grandmother's, and there were several things that I bought myself with the first money I earned. But I guess we won't fight over that." Lexie ended with a fleeting smile. "We must get you in and comfortable first, and then perhaps you would like me to send for a doctor, would you?"

      "Certainly not! I don't want any little one-horse doctor from this dinky town. I'm under a noted specialist, you know, and I'll have to contact someone in the city whom my doctor recommends. But I suppose if you have let things get into this barren state I'll have to do the best I can for to-night. I suppose I'll have to try to get up the stairs with the help of the driver and the nurse. Nurse, you carry my wraps and pillows up first and make it comfortable for me, and then when you come down we'll go up slowly. Perhaps it won't be so impossible."

      "Well, if you hurry I'll help you up," said the nurse grimly, "but then I'm done. And I'll thank you to pay me what you promised for bringing you over."

      "Oh, dear me! How tiresome! What kind of a nurse are you anyway, talking that way to an invalid? Of course you'll get paid. My sister will look after all that. I've spent every cent I had when I started. Lexie, will you attend to this, and get enough for the driver, too? How much was it, driver? Five dollars, did you say?"

      "No, lady, it was seven dollars and a half."

      "But I'm sure you said five. I distinctly remember you said five."

      "Look here, lady. My car registers the miles, see? And I havta go by the meter. I gave you the slip. It's seven dollars and a half. I told ya before we started I couldn't say just how much it would be till I saw how many miles it was, and you, lady, you didn't know! You just said it wasn't far."

      "Oh dear! How tiresome you are! Lexie, get five dollars for him. He'll have to be satisfied with that or nothing. And Lexie, get about twenty more. I'll have to pay the nurse for some things she bought for me on the way, and the meals we had on the train. How much was it in all? I have the memorandum here somewhere. Hurry, Lexie, and let's get this thing over and get me to bed as quickly as possible. I feel as if I might be going to faint again. All this discussion is bad for me. Won't you get the money quickly?"

      Lexie was looking aghast.

      "I'm sorry, Elaine. I just haven't got that much money. I had only about three or four dollars left when I got my ticket paid for."

      "Oh, that's all right, Lexie, run in the house and make out a check. Make two, one for the driver and one for the nurse. Here! Here's the nurse's bill. Add ten to it for her trouble on the way."

      Great trouble descended upon Lexie.

      "I'm sorry, Elaine, but I haven't got my checkbook here. I left it at college. You know, I only came up for a couple of days to get the house in order to rent. The agent wrote me that he thought he had a tenant, and I knew this was the only time I could get away from my classes to do this work, so I came in a great rush and brought very little baggage. Just an overnight bag. So I have no checkbook."