“I am not going home,” said Mrs. Fentley. “Tell him Ammerlin’s. I have several errands, and as you evidently were only mooning at the Vulcan, I think you might go along.” “And hold your hat.” “And hold my hat. I was going to that district messenger office back there to send word over to Mrs. Linford that I couldn’t come, but I am going now, just to be obstinate. There, you may let me have my hat. Did you ever see anything so humiliating? I never expected to see it whole again. Why, it seemed to scud right under the feet of a horse. And to think that you should have seen the thing happen—” “And sprang into the arena to rescue it.” “Such a thing surely never happened to any one before. I hate wind. It is so vulgar.” “Yes,” I said, “especially when it is in an ill-bred hurry. But really you have been in Chicago long enough to know that corner.” “I know. But I was thinking of something else—” “And hurrying a little yourself.” “Well, it seems to me that I never knew so many things to come up. And I don’t see why I _do_ hurry. I never get through, and if I did I should think it hadn’t been worth while. There are a great many things a woman would like to do if it were not for the others who are dipping into the same thing. You have no idea how disagreeable some women are, with other women. There is a woman on our advisory board at the Twilight Home who is ingeniously doing everything she can to make the institution ridiculous. If it wasn’t for giving her too much satisfaction I should get out of the board. She is Dick’s aunt, by the way, and I believe it really grieves her that she can’t manage me. There are three old women and four old men in the Home now. There would be as many more if Mrs. Gritts didn’t have a theory of receiving only select indigent. It costs about two thousand apiece to maintain these seven. They are all so particular that it requires the nicest discrimination to shop for them. I have just been buying socks for our oldest and most particular man. Probably he won’t wear them. He says he prefers English hose. We have his shirts made to order, and he grumbles that they are infamously devised. If there is anything they don’t grumble at Mrs. Gritts thinks up something new for them.” [Illustration] “But how does Mrs. Gritts hold her majority of the board?” “Oh, they all are afraid of her. You see, she got the endowment.” “And she wishes to see it all spent.” “It isn’t so much that, as it is that she wants it spent her way.” “Well, her way seems to be very nice for the old ladies and gentlemen. I am going to keep my eye on your Home. Does Mrs. Gritts have any objection to a literary past?” “I fancy it would not commend you. The fact is that Mrs. Gritts is much influenced by the candidate’s appearance.” “How unfortunate!” I said.