Elizabeth Elliot

“ If any one had ever called Hetty Macdonald’s attention to the matter, she would have agreed that it was n’t much fun to be the middle one. She adored her grown-up sister, tall, pretty, blonde Christine; and was scarcely less devoted to her second sister, Virginia, who was just about to leave school. And as to the twins, whose classic names, Romulus and Remus, were always abbreviated to Omy and Emy, which was more convenient if not as imposing, it would have been hard to persuade Hetty that there ever had been or ever would be again two such darling, mischievous, lovable boys as they were. ”

“ Don't look so mournful. Go and have a good time. Mother ’ll fix things for you.”
“Oh, mother,” gasped Hetty, “you are so good!”
And then she ran downstairs with a feeling of warm comfort around her heart which she had not known for days; and it was not many minutes before the chatter and laughter of the gay girls’ voices convinced Mrs. Macdonald that the party was well under way.
To Hetty, in the parlor, the afternoon sped away like a happy dream. She caught a glimpse of Virginia flashing past the window on her wheel, riding like mad down-town. ”

“ Miss Gilbert will be all out of it in fifteen minutes. And youd better take Emy and Omy with you. It is perfectly impossible for us to attend to them and the sewing at the same time.”
Hetty thought to herself rather grimly: “I ’ll just say right cut: ‘Mother, I'm going to have a party Saturday.’”
But she thought better of it and started off on her errand, with the twins gaily trotting at her heels or ahead of her, frolicking like young colts in their joy at being released from the bondage of indoors, and traveling four or five times each block of the way as they pranced back and forth. ”