OUTSIDE INN [Illustration: "If--if you've made a woman really care"] OUTSIDE INN By ETHEL M. KELLEY Author of Over Here, Turn About Eleanor, Etc. With Frontispiece by W. B. KING INDIANAPOLIS THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright 1920 The Bobbs-Merrill Company Printed in the United States of America PRESS OF BRAUNWORTH & CO. BOOK MANUFACTURERS BROOKLYN, N. Y. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I A GOOD LITTLE DREAM 1 II APPLICANTS FOR BLUE CHAMBRAY 19 III INAUGURATION 33 IV CINDERELLA 49 V SCIENCE 69 VI AN ELEEMOSYNARY INSTITUTION 84 VII CAVE-MAN STUFF 93 VIII SCIENCE APPLIED 113 IX SHEILA 134 X THE PORTRAIT 151 XI BILLY AND CAROLINE 166 XII MORE CAVE-MAN STUFF 180 XIII THE HAPPIEST DAY 198 XIV BETTY 209 XV CLOUDS OF GLORY 220 XVI CHRISTMAS SHOPPING 236 XVII GOOD-BY 248 XVIII TAME SKELETONS 259 XIX OTHER PEOPLE'S TROUBLES 271 XX HITTY 288 XXI LOHENGRIN AND WHITE SATIN 299 OUTSIDE INN CHAPTER I A GOOD LITTLE DREAM "I Elijah Peebles Martin, of the city and county of Harrison, in the state of Rhode Island, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make and declare the following, as and for, my last will and testament.' ... I wish you'd take your head out of that barrel, Nancy, and listen to the document that is going to make you rich beyond the dreams of avarice." "I was beyond them anyway." The young woman in blue serge made one last effectual dive into the depths of excelsior, the topmost billows of which were surging untidily over the edge of a big crate in the middle of the basement floor, and secured a nest of blue and rose colored teacups, which she proceeded to unwrap lovingly and display on a convenient packing box. "Not one single thing broken in this whole lot, Billy.... What is a disposing mind and memory, anyhow?"