Father went faster than he had ever been known to go since he got the car, and Mother never even noticed.  He got a panic lest his watch might be out of the way and the train arrive before they got there.  So they arrived at the station almost an hour ahead of the train.

“Oh, I’m so glad it’s a pretty day!” said Mother Marshall, slipping her gloved hands in her sleeves to keep from shivering with excitement.

Mother Marshall sat quite decorously in the automobile till the train drew up to the platform and people began to get out.  But when Bonnie stepped down from the car she forgot all about her doubts as to how they would know her, and jumped right out on the platform without waiting to be helped.  She rushed up to Bonnie, saying, “This is our Bonnie, isn’t it?” and folded her arms about the girl, forgetting entirely that she hadn’t meant to use the name until the girl gave her permission; that she had no right to know the name even, wasn’t supposed to have heard of it, and was sort of giving the young man away as it were.

But it didn’t matter!  Bonnie was so glad to hear her own name called in that endearing tone that she just put her face down in Mother Marshall’s comfortable neck and cried.  She couldn’t help it, right there while the train was still at the station and the other travelers were peering curiously out of the sleeper at the beautiful pale girl in black who was being met by that nice old couple with the automobile.  Somehow it made them all feel glad, she had looked so sad and alone all the journey.

What a ride that was home again to the farm, with Mother Marshall cuddling and crooning to her:  “Oh, my dear pretty child!  To think you’ve really come all this long way to comfort us!” and Father running the old machine at an unheard of rate of speed, slamming along over the road as if he had been sent for in great haste, and reaching his big fur glove back now and then to pat the old buffalo robe that was tucked snugly over Bonnie’s lap.

Bonnie herself was fairly overcome and couldn’t get her equilibrium at all.  She had thought these must be wonderful people to be inviting a stranger and doing all they were doing, but such a reception as this she had never dreamed of.

“Oh, you are so good to me!” sobbed Bonnie, with a smile through her tears.  “I know I’m acting like a baby, but I can’t seem to help it.  I’ve had nobody so long, and now to be treated like this, I just can’t stand it!  It seems as if I’d got home!”

“Why, sure!  That’s what you have!” said Father, in his big, hearty voice.

“Put your head right down on my shoulder and cry if you want to, my pretty!” said Mother Marshall, pulling her softly over toward her.  “You can’t think how good it is to have you here!  Father and I were so afraid you wouldn’t come!  We thought you mightn’t be willing to come so far to utter strangers!”

So it went on all the way, all of them so happy they didn’t quite know what they were saying.