Jerry had twice taken Luella home from singing school in days gone by, and he had been ticketed as one of her beaux ever since! A might-have-been with whom she consistently played the game. She pushed her shaker back. "Have you seen the orphan?" she added, again brushing stray locks of hair out of her curious eyes. "Yes." "What's she like? Awful proud, I s'pose." "Mebbe. She favors Lambert. He went some on looks, you remember." "How should I remember?" returned Luella with a coy smile, which showed dentally the evenness of piano keys. "I was so _much_ younger than you and Mr. Barry." "I wish Luella's teeth wouldn't kind o' drop," reflected Jerry Holt. "It makes me dizzy." He snapped his whip gently, while Molly, reassured, rested in the first position. "I think I'd ought to call real soon," said Luella. "Don't you?" "Well, 'f I was you I'd let 'em ketch their breath," remarked Jerry impersonally. "The Mrs. Lindsay and her daughter stayin' with me, they're related to a young man in Chicago that's a dear friend o' the Barrys," went on Luella eagerly. "I think 't would make the orphan feel more to home to know she had a mewchal friend in the neighborhood. Don't you?" "Couldn't say," drawled Jerry. "_Sh!_" hissed Luella, lowering her voice portentously. "The ladies are about sure their relation had all his money in Lambert Barry's bank. _Sh!_ They think from all they've heard he was a scoundrel. You can't talk about folks that's dead, though, can you?" "Well, some folks find it's the safest time." "Well, what do _you_ think, Jerry?" she asked, still low-voiced, pressing close to the wagon. "I think I got to be goin'. Careful there, Luella. Don't let Molly step on ye." "Well," she returned, retreating, "I've always believed I could write a play as good as anybody else for those here emotion pictures, and this'd be a splendid story, with Lambert Barry for the villain, and his beautiful daughter believin' in him; don't you think so? I'd make her beautiful, you know." Jerry Holt's lips twitched as he gathered up the reins. "Well, one thing sure, Nature's saved ye the trouble there, Luella. Git ap, Molly." Luella looked after the wagon, her mouth open in her interest. Her friend's meaning slowly percolated. Then she hurried toward the house, removing aprons as she went, to inform her boarders of the arrival. CHAPTER XIV BLANCHE AURORA