"The little vixen!" she said flushing.
"Sorry you didn't care for her," he commented.
"It is a pity!" said Leslie. "But I didn't 'miss bringing her along' any
farther than Mrs. Minturn missed taking her to the hospital to be examined
and treated!"
"I'll have to go again about that," said Mrs. Minturn. "I just couldn't
seem to get at it, someway."
"No, you 'just couldn't seem to,'" agreed Douglas. "And Mr. Winton 'just
couldn't seem to' lay covetous hands on Mickey, and bear him away to be
his assistant any more than I could force him to be my Little Brother. I
hope all of us have a realizing sense that we are permitted to be good and
loyal friends; but we will kindly leave Mickey to make his own
arrangements, and work out his own salvation, and that of his child. And
Leslie, I didn't hear you offering to buy any of the quaint dishes and old
furniture you hoped you might pick up there, either."
"Heavens!" cried Leslie half tearfully. "How would any one go about
offering to buy an old platter that was wrapped in a silk shawl and kept
in the dresser drawer during repairs, or ask a man to set a price on old
furniture, when he was scraping off the varnish of generations, and
showing you wood grain and colouring with the pride of a veteran
collector? I feel so silly! Let's play off our chagrin, and then we'll be
in condition for friendship which is the part that falls to us, if I
understand Mickey.
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