E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Brian Janes, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 21635-h.htm or 21635-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/1/6/3/21635/21635-h/21635-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/1/6/3/21635/21635-h.zip) PRUDENCE SAYS SO by ETHEL HUESTON Author of Prudence of the Parsonage With Illustrations by Arthur William Brown [Illustration: Come on. Let's beat it] New York Grosset & Dunlap Publishers Copyright 1916 The Bobbs-Merrill Company _To_ MY LITTLE DAUGHTER ELIZABETH MY COMRADE AND MY INSPIRATION CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE CHAPERON 1 II SCIENCE AND HEALTH 19 III A GIFT FROM HEAVEN 39 IV HOW CAROL SPOILED THE WEDDING 58 V THE SERENADE 80 VI SUBSTITUTION 95 VII MAKING MATCHES 114 VIII LARK'S LITERARY VENTURE 130 IX A CLEAR CALL 154 X JERRY JUNIOR 179 XI THE END OF FAIRY 193 XII SOWING SEEDS 209 XIII THE CONNIE PROBLEM 222 XIV BOOSTING CONNIE 238 XV A MILLIONAIRE'S SON 252 XVI THE TWINS HAVE A PROPOSAL 277 XVII THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T PROPOSE 297 PRUDENCE SAYS SO CHAPTER I THE CHAPERON "Girls,--come down! Quick!--I want to see how you look!" Prudence stood at the foot of the stairs, deftly drawing on her black silk gloves,--gloves still good in Prudence's eyes, though Fairy had long since discarded them as unfit for service. There was open anxiety in Prudence's expression, and puckers of worry perpendicularly creased her white forehead. "Girls!" she called again. "Come down! Father, you'd better hurry,--it's nearly train time. Girls, are you deaf!" Her insistence finally brought response. A door opened in the hallway above, and Connie started down the stairs, fully dressed, except that she limped along in one stocking-foot, her shoe in her hand.