And stooping to kiss Blue Bonnet, Mr. Ashe asked:
"You were satisfied, then, Honey? It went off as well as you had expected? You are quite content?"
Blue Bonnet hesitated before she replied.
"What is it, Honey? Speak up. Have we left something undone?"
"There's just one thing, Uncle Cliff. I'm almost ashamed to mention it in the face of all you've done to-day--but--it's about Gabriel. If we could only do something for the poor little fellow. Oh, Uncle Cliff, you can't think how it hurts me to see him fading away in that place, when--when there's sunshine going to waste on the Blue Bonnet ranch, and ponies eating their heads off in the stables."
"I thought of that, too, Honey, and--I wasn't going to tell you to-night, Blue Bonnet--you've had enough excitement for one day; but Miss Clyde went to see Gabriel this morning--that was her business engagement--and we're going to take the little chap to Woodford with his nurse for a while. Miss Clyde thinks that she can find a boarding-place. When he gets stronger we'll get him down to the ranch; down into God's own country, Honey, where people have to look in the dictionary to find out what 'tuberculosis' means. There! there! I knew I shouldn't have told you to-night. You're all worn out. Come, come, Honey! the girls are waiting for you."
But Blue Bonnet, arms about her uncle's neck, was sobbing out the gladness of her heart.
It was on the way back to the hotel from church the next day that Blue Bonnet, lagging a bit behind Grandmother and Aunt Lucinda, said to Kitty:
"I don't know whether you girls will enjoy the visit we have to pay to the relatives to-day very much or not. It won't be exciting, but Grandmother and Aunt Lucinda would be hurt if we didn't go."
"I think it's about time we were considering somebody besides ourselves after all that's been done for us," Kitty replied. "I shall love to go, myself. I met your Cousin Tracy once in Woodford and I liked him ever so much."
And the others, whether out of courtesy or not, echoed Kitty's sentiments.
But the afternoon proved far from stupid. Cousin Tracy went to great lengths to be entertaining, and Cousin Honora and Cousin Augusta were so hospitable in their quaint surroundings that Kitty whispered to Blue Bonnet: