dressmaking."

"Don't they dress to captivate the men, then?" asked the Major, with
fine sarcasm.

"Not at all," answered Louise, loftily. "Men seldom know what a woman
has on, if she looks nice; but women take in every detail of dress and
criticise it severely if anything happens to be out of date, ill
fitting or in bad taste."

"Then they're in bad taste themselves!" retorted the Major, hotly.

"Tut-tut, sir; who are you to criticise woman's ways?" asked Uncle John,
much amused. The Major was silenced, but he glared as if unconvinced.

"Dressmaking is a nuisance," remarked Beth, placidly; "but it's the
penalty we pay for being women."

"You're nothing but slips o' girls, not out of your teens," grumbled the
Major. And no one paid any attention to him.

"We want to do you credit, Uncle John," said Patsy, brightly. "Perhaps
our names will be in the papers."

"They're there already," announced Mr. Merrick, picking up the Sunday
paper that lay beside him.

A chorus of exclamations was followed by a dive for the paper, and even
the Major smiled grimly as he observed the three girlish heads close
together and three pair of eager eyes scanning swiftly the society