Eleanor H. Porter

“ Sister Sue shook her head.
"You wouldn't want Mr. Kent, anyway; he was n't born in Gilmoreville. I was, I know, but I—I'm not a celebrity. I'm only the music-teacher that teaches the children down at the village. That would look pretty on your programme with Viola Sanderson and Donald Kendall, would n't it? And when people asked, 'Who's that?' and you had to tell them the truth! Nonsense! Of course I shan't play." Her voice was not quite steady, but she laughed lightly, and her eyes were very bright as Mrs. French held out her hand in good-bye. ”

“ French, her eyes almost popping from her head.
"Now is where the money comes in," went on Sister Sue, showing scarcely less excitement. "With Cy Bellows for your ball-game, and with Viola Sanderson, Kate Farnum, and Donald Kendall for your entertainment, you can charge any old price you want, and they'll pay it and be glad to. And they'll come from miles and miles around, for of course you'll advertise it. With such drawing cards as you've got, you won't have to worry about anything except how you're going to take care of the crowds when they get here." ”

“ We're trying to get everybody back here. And, really, we have some very celebrated people, you know, who used to live here: Cy Bellows, the ball-player, and Miss Kate Farnum, the novelist, and Viola Sanderson. She sings, you know—in Grand Opera, too, I think, in New York, and everywhere. And Mrs. Kendall's boy; you know he's a perfectly wonderful violinist. Well, we've written them to come. And of course we've written all the others, too—everybody who used to live here. You folks would have got a letter if you had n't already come here," she beamed. ”

“ She asked Sister Sue how she enjoyed teaching, and if she did not find that it tried her—so confining, and in warm weather, too! It was such a pity that she had to do it. She inquired for the health of the family, mentioning in particular poor dear Mr. Gilmore. Then, a little later, she took her very gracious leave.
Sister Sue went to the piano and played for quite ten minutes; then very quietly she went out to the veranda and told May that Donald Kendall was coming. She gave the same piece of information to Mrs. French over the telephone. After that it was not necessary to tell any one ”

“ She paused for breath, and Sister Sue murmured a sympathetic "You must be tired, indeed."
"I should say I was! Well, we talked it over, and we finally decided. We'd have a big tent on the Common, and we'd have a banquet at noon. Old Homers—the folks from out of town, you know, that used to live here need n't pay anything. The rest of us folks that live here, and just sight-seers from other towns—we'd pay thirty-five cents a head. ”

“ French doubtfully over the wire. " If you really think we ought to."
"I certainly do," declared Sister Sue as she hung up the receiver.
Arrangements for the ball-game were coming on apace. Sister Sue was not consulted about this, but she was told all about it. The players were all home-town young men, and were practicing every afternoon on the Common. The bank boys and retail clerks were going to play against a nine picked from the Kendall and Whipple shops. Before the Great Day they were to draw lots to see who should have Cy Bellows for pitcher. ”

“ A day later came a letter from Kate Farnum's secretary saying that Miss Farnum would be pleased to come to Gilmoreville as requested, and would be willing to donate her services to the extent of a thirty-minute reading from her latest novel, provided that the management would agree that the doors of the assembly room should be closed during the reading and no one admitted for that period of thirty minutes. ”

“ Sister Sue knew, therefore, the most of what was being done.
It was arranged that Miss Kate Farnum should stay at the Inn. Nobody seemed anxious to undertake her entertainment after being shown the secretary's letter. Mr. Donald Kendall, of course, would stay at his mother's. At least five homes had been thrown wide open to Cy Bellows, with their owners begging for the privilege of entertaining him. After anxious deliberation the Committee chose the first one offered as the safest way out of that dilemma.
There remained, then, only Miss Viola Sanderson. Here there entered complications. Mrs. ”

“ You can imagine it was an awful mess. Nobody wanted the same thing, and some of us, who were wiser, knew we'd got to be careful what we did have, or else the Kendalls and Whipples and all that set would n't come near it. ”