“I am so glad for the poor child,” Mrs. Doring replied. “And now, Adele,” she added, “suppose you ride back and invite Eva and her uncle to come here and stay until they leave for the west.”
“Oh, mumsie,” the girl cried with shining eyes, as she gave her mother a bear-hug. “What nice things you do think of! I will go at once, for I am sure they will not be long at Mrs. Green’s, and the hotel is such a dismal place.”
Once more the girl mounted Firefly and galloped up the Lake Road. Before long she saw the station-wagon approaching, and she waved her hat joyously.
“Here comes Adele!” Eva exclaimed, as she looked up at her uncle with shining eyes. Her face, which had been pale an hour before, was glowing with rosy color. “You just can’t think how kind she has been to me,” Eva continued. “She found me crying one day soon after I came to the orphanage, and she has been just like a sister to me ever since, haven’t you, Adele?” she asked gayly, as Firefly whirled around beside the carriage.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Adele replied, not knowing in the least what her friend was talking about. “Oh, Eva!” she cried. “I’m so happy because now you have some own folks, and so is mumsie, and she sent me to ask you and your uncle to come to our house and stay until you go west.”
“How nice that will be!” Eva exclaimed. “When are we going west, Uncle Dick?”
“Just as soon as I can arrange to get a section through to Chicago. Probably by to-morrow noon.”
“Oh, so soon?” Adele asked dolefully, as she suddenly realized what losing Eva would mean to her. Mr. Dearman saw the troubled expression, and he was pleased to know that his niece had so good a friend, so he hastened to say, “Miss Adele, I do hope that you will be able to come west and make us a long visit. We have an attractive old ranch-house and I am sure that you would enjoy it, and, since you ride so well, perhaps you and Eva would like to be my cow-girls.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I love that life!” Adele replied. “If mumsie will allow me to, I will visit you next vacation.” Then she looked up anxiously as she asked, “Would that be too soon?”
“No, indeed!” laughed Uncle Dick. “The sooner the better. The ranch needs just such company.”