"I am sure you won't be so careless another time," Aunt Zélie said, pitying her distress.
At this moment who should turn the corner but the small cause of all the excitement, chatting away to her new friend, quite unconscious that she was giving anybody any trouble!
"Why, Carie Hazeltine, where have you been?" cried Louise, drying her eyes and running to meet her.
"I found her on Chestnut street—a dog had frightened her," her companion explained, reluctantly releasing the plump hand she held.
"You are a naughty girl," said her sister, taking possession of her. "You might have been run over, or something dreadful."
"I didn't det run over," Carie insisted indignantly.
"Well, say good-by, and 'thank you for taking care of me.' We are all very much obliged to you," Louise added, turning to the stranger. Carie held up her mouth for a kiss, and then allowed herself to be led away.
"At any rate I know their name is Hazeltine," said Carie's friend to herself.
The culprit was soon in a fair way to think she had done something very funny and interesting, people made such a fuss over her, so Aunt Zélie carried her off to be solemnly reproved.
"I suppose you are going to the party to-morrow, aren't you?" asked Elsie Morris, a neighbor and friend, who had been helping in the search.