"What, dear!" and Mrs. Cary's gentle hand went up to lift the hair back
from her daughter's dampened forehead.

"_Blue Beard_!" cried Virgie, with rounded eyes.

"Blue Beard!" echoed her mother in astonishment at this childish freak
of amusement.

"Not really--on this hot day."

"Um, hum," nodded Virgie emphatically. "You know he--he--he was the
terriblest old man that--that ever was. An' he had so many wifses
that--"

"Say 'wives,' my darling. _Wives_."

Sally Ann laughed and Virgie frowned.

"Well, I _thought_ it was that, but Sally Ann's older'n me and she said
'wifses.'"

"Huh," grunted Sally Ann. "Don' make no differ'nce what you call 'em,
des so he had 'em. Gor'n tell her."

"Well, you know, Mother, Blue Beard had such a bad habit of killin' his
wives that--that some of the ladies got so they--they almost didn't like
to marry him!"

"Gracious, what a state of affairs," cried Mrs. Cary, in well feigned
amazement at the timidity of the various Mrs. Blue Beards. "And then--"