mouth, and sat down to become for once the center of interest to her
little world.

"Now tell us all about it--what you waiting for?" said one of the
ladies impatiently.

"What'll I tell?" said Barbara. "I was passin' by the door and Mis'
Smith called me in and said, 'Barbara, will you find Drusilla Doane
and send her here? Tell her that there are two gentlemen who wish to
see her.'"

"Two men--_two_ men to see Drusilla Doane!" cackled one old lady.
"She ain't never had _one_ to call to see her before, as I knows on."

"No," chimed in another. "She's been here five years and there ain't
a livin' soul before asked to see Drusilla Doane. What'd they look
like, Barbara?"

"One was tall and thin and sour-lookin'--looked like a director of a
institution; and the other was short and fat and pussy and was
dressed real elegant. One had a silk hat and he wore one gray glove
and carried another in his hand with a cane. That was the skinny one.
The pussy one wore a gray vest--that's all I had time to see--and his
eyes kind o' twinkled at me."

"Did you hear what they wanted Drusilla for?"

"No, I didn't hear nothin'."

"You mean you didn't hear anything, Barbara," interrupted a