CHAPTER VII

THE IDENTITY OF BETTYMUZ

ICAH and Richard with Miriam between

them emerged from the house, followed by Bonnie, who was feeling the added importance of a big pink bow Melissa had tied on his collar to match the child's frock. With a hand for each, Miriam skipped along between the two men like a little rose, wind blown. She was talking very fast and earnestly, and her companions were laughing at her remarks; in fact, laughter had reigned supreme since her coming to Ledgelawn. Theo called to the child and held out her arms, the little round pink legs fairly flew over the grass as their owner came to her in joyous wel

come.

"A big bear hug for Theo," cried the little one, throwing both arms around her neck, and making what to her mind was a terrifying growl. "Are you 'fraid?" she asked.

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Terribly," said Theo, "just you growl at Uncle Poly." The child made a dive at him, but Mr. Carter remarked that she could not fool him so easily and caught her in his arms, giving such

a splendid imitation of an old bear's growl that Miriam's eyes grew very large and Uncle Poly rose greatly in her estimation.

"You have forgotten Sweetheart," said Theo. Miriam slid down from Mr. Carter's knee and darted like a little bird to its home nest, straight into Madam's arms. The men had thrown themselves on the grass and after Miriam had distributed her embraces to every one, including Bonnie, she seated herself on Theo's lap where she could watch Sweetheart,' she said.

"Tell Sweetheart what you told Micah and me, Baby," said Richard.

"'Bout S'fire?" asked the child.

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'Yes, what you are going to play."

"Oh, yes," said the little girl, clapping her hands. "S'fire and I are going to play Awk, and I'm to be Noah and S'fire will be Ham, 'cause she's so vewy dark. But she doesn't like it; she said she could powder and be white if she wanted to, but she didn't want to."

"Too common, eh, Baby?" said Theo.

Miriam shrugged her plump shoulders and regarded her friend curiously.

"Why do you look at me like that, Baby Bunting?" asked Theo, bending her face to a level with the child's.

Miriam looked up at Madam with a peculiar smile on her face, as much as to say, "You know," but vouchsafed no reply.

"Answer Theo, Miriam, when she speaks to you," said Madam, laying a gentle hand on the curly head.

Miriam stroked Theo's cheeks with her chubby fingers and whispered:

"Has you been putting on ooge, Theo?" The whisper carried so well that a broad smile spread over all faces save Theo's.

"Have I what?" looking from the child's mischievous face to those smiling around her. Miriam elevated her delicately penciled brows in a very old-fashioned way and with another little shrug said in a low voice:

"Your cheeks are werry wed, Theo, has you been putting on ooge? Ooge out of a little teeny weeny wound box?" she insisted, a roguish light in her blue eyes.

A feeling of utter amazement swept over the girl. Whoever would have dreamed such a thing!

"I do believe you mean rouge! Why you little image, what in the world do you know about rouge?" and she looked her full in the eyes.

Madam pressed her handkerchief to her lips; Uncle Poly, with his mouth stretched from ear to ear, covered it discreetly with a palm-leaf fan; while Micah and Richard, shaking with laughter, hid their faces in their arms as they lay on the grass. "What will come next?" observed Micah to Dick. Miriam unaware of the sensation she was creating maintained her quiet self-posses

sion. Spreading out her little skirts she settled herself more comfortably.

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'Bettymuz has ooge in a teeny weeny box. She keeps it in a tin box in her twunk. When she comes she'll show it to you, Theo. Oh!" and the little tones vibrated with joy. "Bettymuz will soon be here, she always comes with the woses. The woses are here, aren't they, Uncle Poly?" and running to him she began smelling the flower on his coat.

The group exchanged exchanged significant glances. Every pleasant night since the warmer weather had set in Miriam with the collie by her side had waited at the avenue gate for the Grand Master on his return with the evening mail. If by chance he had been detained past her bedtime her first words of greeting in the morning were, "Did Bettymuz come, Witchard? Where's Bettymuz?"

They all remembered how, on the morning following her arrival, she had asked where Bettymuz was, cried passionately, refusing to be comforted, until Richard had taken her by her trembling little hand and gone all over the house in a fruitless search for this same Bettymuz. When he asked who she meant, the child either ignored the question, or said, "Why, Bettymuz is Bettymuz." And so it had passed into a sort of joke among them, "Who is Bettymuz?"

Melissa had lighted the lamp under the kettle, the signal that tea was ready, and they all seated

themselves around the table under the spreading maple tree nearer the beach. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was sinking behind the hills on the other side of the river. The wind had gone down with the sun; the air was sweet with the odor of clover. Lorenzo, accompanied by the infant phenomena, was driving Daisy Buttercup, the prize Jersey cow, home from pasture. As they passed the turn of the road to the barnyard, Sapphire waved her hand to Miriam. The little girl stretched up to her fullest height to give her hand greater prominence, and waved back. She was very fond of Sapphire, and was continually running over to the cottage to see her and to help tend the baby. Madam took this opportunity to remark to her son:

"You noticed what she said to Theo, Richard?" He bowed, his eyes watching the child's every movement, as she waved to Sapphire. Madam sighed.

"I must confess I do not like the sound. It is too suggestive of a personality I should dread to have come near her," she observed apprehensively.

"Don't borrow trouble, Duchess," he said reassuringly. "You know one can never account in the usual way for anything Baby says or does." His tone was low, intended only for her ears. Baby is unique," and he looked lovingly across

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