And Mary was so proud of him that her white
eyes fairly blazed. Joe Milgrave, back under the gallery, looked at
Miller and Mary and then at Miranda Pryor, and sighed so heavily that
every one within a radius of three pews heard him and knew what his
trouble was. Walter Blythe did not sigh. But Rilla, scanning his face
anxiously, saw a look that cut into her heart. It haunted her for the
next week and made an undercurrent of soreness in her soul, which was
externally being harrowed up by the near approach of the Red Cross
concert and the worries connected therewith. The Reese cold had not
developed into whooping-cough, so that tangle was straightened out. But
other things were hanging in the balance; and on the very day before the
concert came a regretful letter from Mrs. Channing saying that she could
not come to sing. Her son, who was in Kingsport with his regiment, was
seriously ill with pneumonia, and she must go to him at once.
The members of the concert committee looked at each other in blank
dismay. What was to be done?
"This comes of depending on outside help," said Olive Kirk,
disagreeably.
"We must do something," said Rilla, too desperate to care for Olive's
manner. "We've advertised the concert everywhere--and crowds are coming
--there's even a big party coming out from town--and we were short
enough of music as it was. We must get some one to sing in Mrs.
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