[Illustration: "DO YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE A PIRATE'S SHIP"] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LAUGHING LAST BY JANE ABBOTT AUTHOR OF HIGHACRES, KEINETH, RED ROBIN, Etc. ILLUSTRATED BY E. CORINNE PAULI [Illustration] GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TO FRANCES STANTON SMITH WHOSE LOYAL INTEREST IN MY WORK IS AN UNFAILING HELP TO ME, I AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATE THIS BOOK ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS I THE EGG II REBELLION III POLA LIFTS A CURTAIN IV SIDNEY DIGS FOR COUSINS V THE SUMMER WILL TELL WHO LAUGHS LAST VI SUNSET LANE VII WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE VIII MR. DUGALD EXPLAINS IX SIDNEY TELLS "DOROTHEA" X MAIDS XI INDEPENDENCE XII SIDNEY BELONGS XIII PLOTS AND COUNTERPLOTS XIV WORDS THAT SING XV CAP'N PHIN XVI POLA XVII PEACOCKS XVIII "HOOK" XIX THE GLEAM XX "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG" XXI WHAT THE NIGHT HELD XXII "YOU NEED A BIG BROTHER" XXIII DIAMONDS XXIV WHAT THE DAY HELD XXV NO ONE LAUGHS LAST ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ILLUSTRATIONS "Do You Know, It was Like a Pirate's Ship" Her Eyes Fell Upon an Entry on Another Page Captain Davies Drew a Letter from His Pocket and Tapped It with His Finger She Spied Approaching Figures--Trude and Mr. Dugald, Walking Slowly ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LAUGHING LAST CHAPTER I THE EGG "I beg your pardon, but it's _my_ turn to have the Egg!" Three pairs of eyes swept to the sunny window seat from which vantage-ground Sidney Romley had thrown her protest. Three mouths gaped. "_Yours--_" "Why, Sid--" "Fifteen-year-olders don't have turns!" laughed Victoria Romley, who was nineteen and very grown up.