"Olga?" she repeated doubtfully. "I'm not at all sure that she will
come, but I'll ask her. I'll write a note now and send it to the place
where she works."
Jim gave a little happy skip. He ignored his lameness so absolutely that
often Laura too almost forgot it. "I guess she'll come," he said in the
singing voice he used when he was especially pleased.
Olga was just starting for home when the note reached her. She scowled
as she read.
"Dear Olga: Jim wants you to come to supper with us--just with
him and me--to-night at 6:30. I shall be very glad if you will,
for, aside from the pleasure of having you with us, I want to
talk over with you something that concerns Elizabeth. Please
don't fail us.
"Yours faithfully,
"Laura E. Haven."
Olga read the note twice, her eyes lingering on the words "something
that concerns Elizabeth." But for those words she would have refused the
invitation, but she had not seen Elizabeth for some time, and did not
know whether she was sick or well. She did not want to go to supper with
Miss Laura and Jim. Jim was well enough--her face softened a little as
she thought of him, but she did not want to see him to-night. If there
was something to be done for Elizabeth, however----Reluctantly she
turned towards Wyoming Avenue.
Jim was watching for her at the window and ran to open the door before
the servant could get there.
"I knew you'd come!" he crowed, flashing a smile up into her sombre
face. "I told Miss Laura you would."
"What made you so sure, Jim?" she asked curiously.
"O 'cause. I knew you would. I wanted you _hard_, and when you want
things hard they come--sometimes," Jim said, the triumph dropping out of
his voice with the last word.
Jim did most of the talking during supper, Laura throwing in a word now
and then, and leaving Olga to speak or be silent, as she chose. She
wondered what it was in Olga that attracted the boy, for he seemed
quite at ease with her, taking it for granted that she liked to be there
and was interested in what interested him; and although Olga was so
silent and grave, there was a friendly light in her eyes when she looked
at Jim, and she did not push him away when he leaned on her knee and
once even against her shoulder, as the three of them gathered about the
fire after supper. But when he had gone to bed, Olga began at once.
"Miss Laura, what about Elizabeth?"
"You told me," Miss Laura returned, "that you thought Sadie had
something to do with her absence from the Council meetings."
Olga's face hardened. "I'm sure of it. She's a hateful little cat--that
Sadie. I'm sure she is determined that Elizabeth shall not come here
unless she comes too."
"I wonder why the child is so eager to come," Miss Laura said
thoughtfully.
"Oh!" Olga flung out impatiently. "She's bewitched over the Camp Fire
dresses, and headbands, and all the other toggery, and she likes to be
with older girls. She's just set her heart on being a Camp Fire Girl and
she's determined that if she can't be, Elizabeth shan't be
either--that's all there is about it."
"Then perhaps we'd better admit her."