Mrs. Calvert, Dorothy, and Alfaretta hurried up to their rooms to get their things straightened out. Alfy found, having packed hurriedly that morning, that their dresses were badly wrinkled. She said to Mrs. Calvert:
“Aunt Betty, what shall I do? My dresses are very much mussed, and I guess Dorothy’s are in the same condition.”
“I have a little electric iron in my trunk that I always carry with me for just that purpose, when I travel, because one’s things are very apt to get wrinkled no matter how much care one takes of them,” answered Aunt Betty.
“May I have it?” questioned Alfaretta, eagerly, for she was always very fond of ironing, and always was very proud of her skill in that direction, for more than once Ma Babcock had praised her by saying even she couldn’t have done as well herself. “I would love to iron the things all out nice, and make them look like new.”
“Certainly, I will get it for you. You unscrew the electric light bulb and take it out, and then put the small disk in place and screw it tight. Then turn on the current, and place the piece with the wire attached into the socket. Then in a few minutes the iron will be hot enough to use,” directed Aunt Betty.
Alfy started off to look for things to press; ribbons, belts, ties, collars and the dresses that they wished to wear that night. These she laid on the bed, and Aunt Betty left her there, as happy and content as she could be in having found some way in which she could be useful.
When Dorothy was all alone at last, she opened a letter that the clerk had given her when she arrived, and read as follows:
Dear, Dear Girl:
I received your postal and letter from Washington, but was rather disappointed not to have had another letter from you ere this. But I suppose you have been very busy sight-seeing in all the places you have been, and then you must have given up considerable time to practicing for your concerts. I know that you have little time while you are traveling about.