"No. Not for just what the money would bring you," she agreed. "But think! What have you to offer Ruth Kenway if you should come to the point where you might ask her to engage herself to you? We're just as poor as Job's turkey after it was picked to the bones!" "I know it, Sis," groaned the young fellow. "And without Neighbor's help you may have a long and hard struggle getting anywhere," Cecile said gravely. "Too true, Sis." "Well--then--" The Kenways and Neale O'Neil reappeared. The visiting brother fell silent. Luke Shepard scarcely had a word to say during the remainder of the automobile ride. CHAPTER VII A FELINE FUROR Returning to town, the automobile party passed Stout's tobacco barn again and when it came in sight Dot eagerly began to explain to the older girls how and where she had found a name for the sailor-baby that Luke Shepard had given her. "That is a real pretty name I think," said Ruth, absently. "And quite new I am sure." Agnes demanded again where the smallest Corner House girl had seen the name, 'Nosmo' painted. "Why!" she exclaimed, "it says 'king'--that's what is painted on that door, children." "Oh, but, Sister!" exclaimed Tess. "_That_ is the other half of the big door. They've shut the half that was open when we rode along before and opened the other one." But Agnes was not listening to this explanation. She had turned back to Ruth and Cecile. Dot was eagerly repeating something over and over to herself. Tess turned to demand what it was. "Oh, Tessie!" the smallest Corner House girl cried, "that sounds b-e-a-u-ti-ful!" "What does?" demanded her sister. "I've just the nicest middle name for this sailor-baby," and she hugged her new possession again. "What is it?" asked the interested Tess. "Nosmo King Kenway. Isn't that nice?" eagerly cried the little girl. "It's--it's so 'ristocratic. Don't you think so, Tess?" Tess repeated the full name, too. It did sound rather nice. The oftener you said it the better it sounded. And--yet--there was something a wee bit peculiar about it. But Tess was too kind-hearted to suggest anything wrong with the name, as long as Dot liked it so much. And she had found it all her very own self! "I wonder what Sammy will say to _that_," murmured Dot placidly. "I guess he'll think it is a nice name, won't he?" "Well, if he doesn't it won't make any difference," Tess said loftily. Just at that time, however, (though quite unsuspected by the Corner House girls) Sammy Pinkney had his mind quite filled with other and more important matters. Since his long illness in the spring Sammy had remained something of a stranger to his oldtime boy friends. Of course, as soon as he got into school again and associated with the boys of his own class once more, he would get back into the "gang" as he called it. He was not a boy to be gibed because he played with girls so much.