“I heard about it,” said Tom.
Winona flushed.
“What did you hear?”
“About you and your ceremonial dresses. But I guessed, too.”
“Who told you—and what did they tell?” demanded Winona, sitting up and looking ruffled.
“Marie—that all the girls mightn’t have party clothes,” Tom placidly replied.
“Marie hadn’t any business to!” said Winona.
“Well, I guessed the rest. You see, Lonny Hughes is in the Scouts, too, and he—well, he tells me things sometimes. And I know Adelaide felt pretty badly for awhile because she couldn’t keep up with some of you—Edith mostly, I guess. He said he had to fairly bully his sister into joining you girls, even after Nannie’d coaxed her. You certainly were a good sport, Win! You know, there’s just Lonny and Adelaide and a younger sister, and the father. They have one of those little flats over James’s drug-store, in the Williamson Block, and Mr. Hughes doesn’t get an awful lot of salary. Anyway, the kids keep house, and Adelaide has to look after herself all the way round. So she takes this hard, the money end, I mean.”
“I think she’s silly!” said downright Winona.
“Maybe!” said Tom wisely, and went on bestowing loving care on his repeating rifle, the joy of his life.