First—­Father is a Raccoon in full standing, and is going to be Scout Master for a little troop just the minute Lovelace Peyton gets old enough to organize one.  And other honors have come to him like—­but I must put things down in an orderly fashion for Father as he has bought you on a book, Louise.

Miss Priscilla is going to marry the Colonel.  The secret of the why of her not doing it before is out.  I have always felt that Miss Priscilla was honorable and not cruel.  The Colonel had never asked her before, and it seems that the Stockell pride is very like the Byrd pride.  He lost his fortune during the war and she is rich.  His honor forbade!  But Father has got him to go on a board of directors of the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company.  Father says to give tone to directors’ meetings, but that reason is not to be mentioned.  He gets a salary of fifteen hundred dollars and is willing to marry on that, as Miss Priscilla insists on it.  He told me all about it and so did she.

Tony, also, was in the confidence of both for these last few days which was a great comfort, as he is always so full of plans to accomplish things.  In fact, it was Tony that made Miss Priscilla send for the Colonel with determination and it was I who got the salary fixed with Father and urged the Colonel to respond to her summons.  They are as happy as “Love’s young dream continued into maturity.”  I quote the Colonel exactly, as I think it is a literary gem.

Being the best-man at the wedding is one of the honors that has come to Father.  I reminded him that the Colonel is not only a Stockell but he is a Confederate hero.  Father said that he appreciated all that and that was what the salary was for.

“Bubble,” said Tony, as he sat on the bench in our garden and fanned himself with his hat, “now that you have got the old town geared up and jogging along smoothly with your almost boylike energy, let’s forget all about ’em and get ready a really humming Scout-Campfire ceremonial for the second night of commencement.  I have got one gruesome idea I will be ready to tell you about to-morrow.  We needn’t let in Roxy or the Dumpling or the other Kittens until it is all fixed, for they will be frozen with fear at the very idea of what will be a Scout initiation, all right enough.  But they’ll do as you say when the time comes, for the whole bubble bunch, including Belle, since her algebra get-away, fall at any word you dope out to ’em from now on.  Well done for you!  You are not only a brick, Phyllis, but a whole wall of them that can be depended upon to line up to the mark.”

I wrote that down not to be conceited, but I want to preserve that opinion of me in you, Louise, because it means that I have, in a little way, deserved the happiness that has come to me.

I came to this town a sad and lonely girl, with a great sorrow that had kept me from being like other people and with a great distrust of my father, who had had to be both Father and Mother to me.  I have found friends and interests and excitement and adventure and sympathy and encouragement out here under that Old Harpeth Hill and I am always going to keep them.  I hope I never will go one step out of Byrdsville as long as I live, though Roxanne has planned trips to every corner of the world for us as soon as the Idol has finished this next invention.