“Well, I don’t know. We’d have to think that up. Do you know her name?” “Yes, it’s Clytie Amabel Dodd. They call her Clytie, and it makes me sick the way they say it. She—she smokes cigarettes, Nellie!” “She does!” exclaimed Cornelia. “Are you sure, dear? How do you know?” “Well, Hazel Applegate says she saw her on the street smoking with a lot of boys.” There was a long pause, and the little girl almost thought her sister was asleep; then Cornelia asked, “Do you know where she lives?” “No, but I guess Harry does. He gets around a lot delivering groceries, you know. Anyway, if he doesn’t, he can find out.” “Well, I’ll have to think about it some more—and—pray, too.” “Nellie.” “Well, dear?” “Nellie, you know that verse the minister said this morning about if two of you agree to pray for anything you know; why couldn’t you and I do that?” Cornelia pressed the little fingers close. Then it was all very still, and presently the two slept. The next afternoon, while they were getting dinner and working about in the kitchen, the older sister suddenly asked: “When is Carey’s birthday? Isn’t it this week? The twenty-fifth, isn’t it?” “Yes,” said Louise gravely. “It’s Thursday. Are you going to do anything? O Nellie!” in consternation. “You’re _not_ going to invite that girl _then_?” “I don’t know,” said Cornelia. “I know it wouldn’t be very pleasant for us, but I thought perhaps it would be a good excuse. There isn’t really any other that I know of.” The little girl was silent for a moment. “Wouldn’t it make her think we thought—I mean wouldn’t she get a notion we liked—That is, wouldn’t she be awfully set up—and think we wanted her to go with Carey?” “I’m sure I don’t know, dear, and I don’t suppose that part of it really matters if we just get this thing sifted down and find out what we’ve got to do. We simply can’t say anything about her to Carey till we’ve somehow come in contact with her in his presence, or he will think we’ve been snooping about watching him; and he will just be angry and go with her all the more.” “I know,” sighed the little girl. “If we have her here,” went on the older sister thoughtfully, “we’ll at least know what they both are doing; and, if she doesn’t act nicely, we’ll have some ground to influence Carey.” “Yes,” answered the little girl with another sigh. “Have you thought, Nellie, perhaps he won’t like it?” “Yes, I’ve thought that too, but I guess it won’t really matter much. It may do good, you know.” “But he might not come home to supper that night. Or he might get real mad, and get up and leave while she’s here.” “Well, I don’t see that that would really do any harm. I guess we’ve got to try something, and this seems kind of a plain way to do. If Mother were here, it would be better. Mother would know how to give dignity to the occasion. But I guess for Mother’s sake I’ve got to do something to either improve her or get rid of her before Mother comes home. It would kill Mother.”