"Yours in deep sincerity,
"Arthur Northrup Denton."
"Well, if that isn't in the line of a sensation, then my name isn't Josephine Elfreda Briggs! And to think Ruth's father has actually materialized and is coming to Overton? When did you receive the letter, Grace?"
"It came just before the Easter vacation," interposed Emma Dean bravely, without giving Grace a chance to answer. "I might as well tell you. I took it from the big bulletin board, put it in my coat pocket to bring to Grace and forgot it. Don't all speak at once." Emma bowed her head, her hands over her ears.
Then an immediate buzz of conversation arose, and Emma came in for a deserved amount of good-natured teasing.
"What is the date of the letter!" asked Elfreda.
"The twenty-sixth of February," replied Grace. "It must have been on the way for weeks."
"And in Emma's pocket longer," was Miriam's sly comment.
"But he should have arrived long before this," persisted Elfreda. "I wonder if he received Ruth's letter."
"Perhaps he didn't start as soon as he intended," said Anne.
"That may be so. Nevertheless, he has had plenty of time to attend to his affairs and come here, too," declared Elfreda. "I wouldn't be surprised to see him almost any day."