"Yes, my dear. For my part I should count a braid of hair such as you
lost worth twice that sum, but even at that price I could not obtain it.
No one ever values a fine head of hair until it is gone--like the dry
well, you know. But you are young enough to grow another braid, and that
is the beauty of it. Mr. French said your father gave him full power to
act, and so he will accept the company's offer. And the fine thing about
it is he does not want a commission--only his expenses, which are
nominal."

"Isn't that perfectly splendid!" exclaimed Dorothy, throwing her arms
about Tavia.

"Some people are born lucky, and others have luck thrust upon them,"
said Tavia pleasantly. "In this case it was as usual. I did the mischief
and Dorothy did the rest. That lawyer would never have noticed me if
Dorothy hadn't shown her pluck--why, she had my flaming hair wrapped up
in a brakeman's coat before he had decided whether to throw it out of
the window or over the ice cooler. He seemed to be worried about the
ice, for it was directly in the path of the fire."

"Nonsense," said Dorothy, blushing. "He very politely pulled off his
coat when I asked him to, and of course, he did not know just what to do
with it."

"Lucky thing it was a railroad coat," went on Tavia, "or we might have
had to pay damages."

"Lucky thing Dorothy had such presence of mind, at any rate," remarked
Mrs. White, "for another touch of that flame and your face, Tavia, might
have had a different bill against the railroad company. However, as it