“Whatever are you sighing for, Babs?” Ruth asked in astonishment. “Are you sick—or something?”
“Oh no: was I sighing?”
“Yep, you was,” came so unexpectedly from little Nicky that everyone laughed.
“That’s right, Nick,” said Dudley, “we fellows have got to stick together. So I’ll dump the girls at home and we’ll finish our ride in peace.”
“Sure,” agreed Nicky, and again a problem was solved.
CHAPTER XIII
CRAZY QUILTS GALORE
The party was over. It had been a delightful experience for Babs, and despite her natural opposition to that social life to which she felt alien, she had to admit that it “did her good.”
She admitted this at the constant reiteration of Dora, who just kept saying that the party “done Barbara good,” until Barbara chimed in to break the monotony.
“Put some life in her,” then Dora varied her chant, and at that Dr. Hale took up the refrain and declared that it certainly had.
But life at the old-fashioned home did not now seem quite the same to Barbara. Everything seemed so shabby; she scarcely felt brave enough to invite her new friends in to see her, although their curiosity would amply have repaid her and would easily have compensated for the lack of luxury.