They had the hardest time with Harry when they confided to him their plans and asked for his assistance. It took a great deal of argument and much tact to make him believe that anything good might come out of inviting “that chicken,” as he persisted in calling Carey’s latest admiration. He had little less scorn for Brand Barlock; but, when he heard that Grace Kendall was to be included in the list of guests, he succumbed. “Aw, gee! It’s a rotten shame to mix her up with that gang, but if she’ll come, it’ll be some party. Gee! Yes, I’ll take your invites round, but you better find out if the minister’s girl will come before you get any of the others.” The sisters decided that Harry’s advice was wise, and after the children had gone to school and the morning work was done up Cornelia took her walk to market around by the way of the minister’s house and proffered her request. “I’m not at all sure you’ll like the company,” she said with a deprecatory smile; “they are some young people Carey got to know last winter, and I want to get acquainted with them and see if they are the right kind. I thought maybe you’d be willing to help make it a success.” That was all the explanation she gave; but the other girl’s face kindled sympathetically, and she seemed to understand everything. “Oh, I’d love to come. Shall I bring some games? We have a table-tennis that is a lot of fun; you use it on the dining-room table, you know; and there are several other games that we enjoy playing here when we have a jolly crowd. Suppose I bring my violin over, and we have some music, too. I’ll bring some popular songs; we have a bunch for when the boys come in from the church.” When Cornelia started home, she felt quite cheerful about her party. Grace Kendall seemed to be a hostess in herself. She had offered to come around and help get ready, and the two girls had grown quite chummy. Cornelia hummed a little song, and quite forgot that across the miles of distance her classmates were this day preparing for the elaborate program that had long been anticipated for their class-day exercises. Somehow college days and their doings had come to seem almost childish beside the real things of every day. This party, for instance. How crude and home-made it was all to be! Yet it stood for so much, and it seemed as if momentous decisions depended upon its results.