The child's heart was captured immediately and she joyfully cuddled up close to this new relative, who drew her with her to a big chair relieving her own nervousness, at this interview with dignified Mrs.

Morton, by petting Chicken Little.

Marian Gates soon noticed that Jane seemed specially interested in her hair. She detected small fingers feeling it cautiously and saw Mrs.

Morton shake her head. Finally, Chicken Little reached up and whispered something. Marian laughed and nodded, then turning to Mrs. Morton explained: "She wants me to take my hair down."

Mrs. Morton protested but Marian bent her head and told Jane to pull out the pins. The child's fingers trembled and she touched the soft dark ma.s.ses almost reverently.

When the last pin was out and the hair tumbled a shimmering cloud over Marian's shoulders, over the chair arms, and on down to the floor, Mrs.

Morton exclaimed in admiration and Chicken Little stood spellbound.

Marian, blushing, got to her feet.

"There's really too much," she apologized. "It's hard to do anything with."

Chicken Little stepped forward fascinated, slipping her fingers among the shining strands.

"It is"--she gasped finally, "it is--clear below your knees--and it's real!"

She could hardly wait to get home and a.s.sure brother Frank of the miraculous fact. He seemed deeply interested. When he went to see Marian that evening he remarked:

"Why this _unfair discrimination_? Don't you love me as well as you do Jane?"

And blushing Marian displayed her wealth of hair to a second audience no less admiring than the first.

It seemed to Chicken Little that the day of the wedding would never come. She bubbled about it till each individual member of the Morton family, including the sympathetic Alice, wished she hadn't been told.

Ernest, who was secretly almost as excited as Jane, though he considered it the manly thing to pretend that he wasn't, listened eagerly to all her facts, but got tired of her questions.

"Girls and women are always fussing about clothes. Mother says I've got to wear a stiff collar," he complained. "Anyway, I hope they'll have a lot to eat."

"Oh, I know they will," said Chicken Little. "Jennie Gates said they were cooking and packing all the time at her house this week. She says Frank gave her a quarter. I wish he'd give me a quarter."

"Ah, he's just makin' up with Marian's family. You don't have to be paid to like Marian--you think she's the only person on the earth now."

As the wedding day approached, Chicken Little became more and more concerned about Alice's being left at home. She broached the subject to her mother again but was dismissed with a curt:

"It is impossible, my dear. I gave Alice the opportunity to be present and she refused. I fear she is getting notions very much above her position."

The child was not content. She decided to tackle her brother Frank. She met him at the front gate one evening about three days before the wedding, and poured out her tale of woe. Frank considered, then patted her on the head and promised to talk it over with Marian.

The next day Miss Alice Fletcher received an engraved card requesting the pleasure of her company at the Gates-Morton nuptials. The tears stood in Alice's eyes as she read it. "How dear of Marian!" she exclaimed.

Mrs. Morton had felt distinctly displeased at the arrival of the card, but the sight of the girl's tears disarmed her. Instead of discouraging Alice from attending the wedding as she at first intended, she turned in and helped her arrange a dress for the occasion. She did, however, ask Chicken Little somewhat sternly if she had teased Marian to invite Alice.

The long parlors of the Gates home were fragrant with evergreen and hot-house flowers that wedding night when the Morton family arrived.

Chicken Little had seen her brother's trunk start for the station, and had admired his silk hat and white gloves as the hack called for him before the rest of the family were ready. She had promised Katy and Gertie to bring them a lot of wedding cake and to remember every single thing to tell them, but especially to find out whether Marian was dressed properly as a bride should be in "something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue." Katy had discovered that this was absolutely necessary to a bride's future happiness.

The something new was very apparent as Marian and Frank walked slowly down the long room between the lines of friends and relatives to the little bower where the minister stood waiting for them. Marian was all in shimmering silken white, but she wore no veil, and her glorious hair crowned a very sweet and earnest face. She carried a quaint little bouquet of pale tea roses and heliotrope framed formally in lacy white paper, and an exquisite lace handkerchief, whose slightly yellowed border betrayed that it was something old, even to Chicken Little's childish eyes.

Frank held his head high and clasped Marian's arm close as if he were a little afraid she might vanish at the last moment. Jane noticed that there were tears in her mother's eyes and in Marian's father's and she felt worried lest it was because Marian had forgotten the "something borrowed" and "something blue." She inspected her carefully the whole length of the parlors, but no hint of anything blue could she detect unless it was the heliotrope in the bouquet, and that she thought was surely lavender. Her mother wore a great deal of lavender. Perhaps, though, the handkerchief had been borrowed.

She forgot her anxiety for a few moments during the hush that attended the solemn rendering of the marriage service. She slipped clear out in front of everybody to see better, but Ernest pulled her back impatiently. When the last words were uttered and the minister extended his hand in congratulation, she slipped quietly around behind the bridal pair, to look Marian over at close range. Her brother caught sight of her.

"Come on, Chicken Little, and kiss your new sister. Why, what a solemn face!"

Marian hugged her up tight and Jane found courage to whisper, "You haven't got anything blue on."

Marian looked puzzled for an instant, then laughed heartily.

"Yes, I have, little sister, but don't you tell--it's a blue garter. And my handkerchief is old and borrowed from my mother. It was her wedding handkerchief--so you see it's all right. I'm glad you wished me to be just right."

"Katy said brides wouldn't be happy if they didn't," explained the child.

"And you wanted me to be happy--bless your heart! I'm going to be the happiest girl in the world and I'm going to love my little new sister very dearly."

The child's heart was rather divided for the remainder of the evening between the desire to stay close to the new sister, and her allegiance to Alice. A glimpse of the latter standing off by herself near a window, decided her. With her usual impetuous movement she made a dash in her direction, b.u.mping smartly into a tall young man who chanced to be in the way.

Mr. Richard Harding looked down at her with a smile.

"h.e.l.lo, small craft, where are you heading for at such speed?"

Chicken Little returned the smile, rubbing her cheek where it had grazed against his coat b.u.t.ton.

"I was just a going to Alice."

"Alice, eh?--You are Frank Morton's little sister aren't you?"

Jane nodded.

"I'm Chicken Little."

"I see, well, Chicken Little, you'll have hard work getting through this crowd--let me help you. Where is Alice?"

Chicken Little pointed.

Alice's simple white swiss dress was outlined very distinctly against a dark red curtain. She looked very lovely as Mr. Harding immediately observed. Her dark hair was coiled low on her neck with two long curls hanging down over one shoulder. Her gray eyes were sweet and wistful as she watched the gay company in which she had so little part. She had tucked a spray of red berries in her hair and another was fastened at her throat with a handsome old cameo brooch.

"So that is Alice. Well, I think I should like to go to Alice myself.

Suppose you take me over and introduce me. I'm d.i.c.k Harding."

The introduction was adequate if not conventional. One of Chicken Little's hands was slipped confidingly into d.i.c.k Harding's by this time, and she promptly tucked the other into Alice's when she reached her.

This brought the two very close together indeed and made them laugh.

"Here, Chicken Little, what about that introduction?"

Jane glanced from one face to the other with shy embarra.s.sment.

"This is Alice," she said, looking up at d.i.c.k Harding, "and this is d.i.c.k Harding, Alice."

"I am delighted to meet you, Miss Alice," d.i.c.k said, smiling again.