“Now, children, you play a little while by yourselves,” he said, as he put his hands to his head.
“Now you amused us,” said May, “so it is our turn and we will amuse you. Want your head rubbed? I can do it like mamma rubs papa’s when he’s all tired out.” She looked at him so coaxingly that he said:
“Yes, to be sure.”
“All right,” she consented, climbing to the back of his chair and running her fingers through his hair. She did it so quietly and soothingly as she scratched gently back and forth, that he thought to himself, “What a little fairy she is!” He got no further, for sleep had claimed him and May soon discovered this.
Grandpa had nice long hair, so here was her opportunity, for she loved to braid hair. She would do it so gently and “My! wouldn’t he be glad when he saw how pretty she had made it!” Then she espied some wool in a work basket of her mother’s. Such pretty colors—blue, green, yellow, red and white! “What a lot,” she said in glee. In a little while she had gone all over his head and fine little braids were standing out in all directions tied with wool. As she stood admiring her handiwork, her eye detected Roy in the next room teasing her kitten. He saw by her glance what was coming. In two seconds he had bounded up the back stairs, flying madly on and on until he reached the nursery, then he fell. She grabbed the kitten. Roy set up a howl and baby awakened. May quieted baby, took it up and set it on the floor, then started after Roy again, who had made off with the kitten.
At this moment the door bell rang. The cook ushered in several strangers. It was three o’clock and the committee had arrived. The confusion awakened the old gentleman asleep in the chair. Just as the door opened, he straightened down his vest, smoothed his trousers and believed he was all right. He advanced to explain that his daughter would be in in a moment, and noticed that they were looking at him strangely and laughing so hard they could not speak. He rushed into the hall only to see his daughter acting worse than those in the library. She was stealthily running up stairs, and as he looked up to the top step he saw the eight months’ old baby kicking his heels and seeming to be enjoying the situation, as the mother cried, “Wait for mother, darling, wait—” Just then the baby sprang forward and she caught him only in time to keep him from going head first to the bottom of the stairs. There she sat the tears streaming down her face while she hugged her baby. She looked down upon hearing her father’s voice and roared with laughter. He, thinking that she was hysterical, begged her to calm herself. It was all she could do between screaming and laughing to hold her child, he looked so funny. By this time every one was in the hall, roaring as they looked at the staid old gentleman. His daughter led him to the mirror. It is needless to say that there was no meeting. Their arguments were answered before begun. Children are safer when certain people are responsible for their care and welfare. The society heard no more about families growing apart.
CHAPTER XVIII.
On a bright afternoon, two old men could be seen strolling along leisurely, talking of the difference the society had made in their lives.
