“Guardy Lud” was the first visitor, just for a night and a day. He had come East for a flying business trip, and could not pass by his beloved wards without at least a glimpse. He dropped down into their midst quite unexpectedly the night before college closed, and found them with a bevy of young people at the supper-table, who opened their ranks right heartily, and took him in. He sat on the terrace in the moonlight with them afterwards, joking, telling them stories, and eating chocolates with the rest. When they gathered about the piano for a sing, he joined in with a good old tenor, surprising them all by knowing a lot of the songs they sang.

After the young people were gone he lingered, wiping his eyes, and saying, “Bless my soul!” thoughtfully. He told Julia Cloud over and over again how more than pleased he was with what she had done for his children, and insisted that her salary should be twice as large. He told her she was a big success, and should have more money at her command to do with as she pleased, and that he wanted the children to have a larger allowance during the coming year. Allison had spoken of his work among the young people of the church, and he felt that it would have been the wish of their father and mother both that the young people should give liberally toward church-work. He would see that a sum was set aside in the bank for their 274 use in any such plans as they might have for their Christian Endeavor work.

They talked far into the night, for he had to hear all the stories of all their doings, and every minute or two one or the other of the children would break in to tell something about the other or to praise their dear Cloudy Jewel for her part in everything.

The next day they took him everywhere and showed him everything about the college and the place, introduced him to their favorite professors, at least those who were not already gone on their vacations, and took him for a long drive past their favorite haunts. Then he had to meet Jane Bristol and Howard Letchworth. Julia Cloud was greatly relieved and delighted when he set his approval upon both these young people as suitable friends for the children.

“They are both poor and earning their own living,” said Julia Cloud, feeling that in view of the future and what it might contain she wanted to be entirely honest, that the weight of responsibility should not rest too heavily upon her.

“All the better for that, no doubt,” said Guardy Lud thoughtfully, watching Jane Bristol’s sweet smile as she talked over some committee plans with Allison. “I should say they were about as wholesome a couple of young people as could be found to match your two. Just keep ’em to that kind for a year or two more, and they’ll choose that kind for life. I’m entirely satisfied with the work you’re doing, Miss Cloud. I couldn’t have found a better mother for ’em if I’d searched heaven, I’m sure.”

And so Julia Cloud was well content to go on with her beloved work as home-maker.

But the day after Guardy Lud left, just as the three were sitting together over a great State map of roads, perfecting their plans for a wonderful vacation, which was to include a brief visit to Ellen Robinson at Sterling, a noisy Ford drew up at the door, and there was Ellen Robinson herself, with the entire family done up in linen dust-coats and peering curiously, half contemptuously, at the strange pink-and-white architecture of the many-windowed “villa.”

Allison arose and went down the terrace to do the honors, showing his uncle where to drive in and put his car in the little garage, helping his aunt and the little cousins to alight.

“For mercy’s sake, Julia, what a queer house you’ve got!” said Ellen the minute she arrived, gazing disapprovingly at the many windows and the brick terrace. “I should think ’twould take all your time to keep clean. What’s the idea in making a sidewalk of your front porch? Looks as if some crazy person had built it. Couldn’t you find anything better than this in the town? I saw some real pretty frame houses with gardens as we came through.”

“We like this very well,” said Julia Cloud with her old patient smile and the hurt flush that always accompanied her answers to her sister’s contempt. “Cherry doesn’t seem to mind washing windows. She likes to keep them bright. We find it very comfortable and light and airy. Come inside, and see how pretty it is.”

Once inside, Ellen Robinson was somewhat awed with the strangeness of the rooms and the beauty of the furnishings, but all she said after a prolonged survey was: “Um! No paper on the wall! That’s 276 queer, isn’t it? And the chimney right in the room! It looks as though they didn’t have plaster enough to go around.”

Leslie took the children up-stairs to wash their faces and freshen up, and Julia Cloud led her sister to the lovely guest-room that was always in perfect order.

“Well, you certainly have things well fixed,” said Ellen grudgingly. “What easy little stairs! It’s like child’s play going up. I suppose that’s one consolation for having such a little playhouse affair to live in; you don’t have to climb up far. Well, we’ve come to stay two days if you want us. Herbert said he could spare that much time off, and we’re going to stop in Thayerville on the way back and see his folks a couple of days; and that’ll be a week. Now, if you don’t want us, say so, and we’ll go on to-night. It isn’t as if we couldn’t go when we like, you know.”

But Julia Cloud was genuinely glad to see her sister, and said so heartily enough to satisfy even so jealous a nature as Ellen’s; and so presently they were walking about the pretty rooms together, and Ellen was taking in all the beauties of the home.

“And this is your bedroom!” she paused in the middle of the rose-and-gray room, and looked about her, taking in every little detail with an eye that would put it away for remembrance long afterwards. “Well, they certainly have feathered your nest well!” she declared as her eyes rested on the luxury everywhere. “Though I don’t like that painted furniture much myself,” she said as she glanced at the French gray enamel of the bed; “but I suppose it’s all right if that’s the kind of thing you like. Was it some of their old furniture from California?”

“Oh, no,” said Julia Cloud quickly, the pretty flush coming in her cheeks. “Everything was bought new except a few little bits of mahogany down-stairs. We had such fun choosing it, too. Don’t you like my furniture? I love it. I hovered around it again and again; but I didn’t dream of having it in my room, it was so expensive. It’s real French enamel, you know, and happens to be a craze of fashion at present. I thought it was ridiculous to buy it, but Leslie insisted that it was the only thing for my room; and those crazy, extravagant children went and bought it when I had my head turned.”

“You don’t say!” said Ellen Robinson, putting a hard, investigating finger on the foot-board. “Well, it does seem sort of smooth. But I never thought my cane-seat chairs were much. Guess I’ll have to get ’em out and varnish ’em. What’s that out there, a porch?”

Julia Cloud led her out to the upper porch with its rush rugs, willow chairs, and table, and its stone wall crowned with blooming plants and trailing vines. She showed her the bird’s nest in the tree overhead.

“Well,” said Ellen half sourly, “I suppose there’s no chance of your getting sick of it all and coming back, and I must say I don’t blame you. It certainly is a contrast from the way you’ve lived up to now. But these children will grow up and get married, and then where will you be? I suppose you have chances here of getting married, haven’t you?”

The color flamed into Julia Cloud’s cheeks in good earnest now.

“I’m not looking for such chances, Ellen,” she said decidedly. “I don’t intend ever to marry. I’m happier as I am.”

“Yes, but after these children are married what’ll you do? Who’ll support you?”

“Don’t let that worry you, Ellen, There are other children, and I love to mother them. But as far as support is concerned I’m putting away money in the bank constantly, more than I ever expected to have all together in life; and I shall not trouble anybody for support. However, I hope to be able to work for a good many years yet, and what I’m doing now I love. Shall we go down-stairs?”

“Have Allison and Leslie got any sweethearts yet?” she asked pryingly as she followed her sister down the stairs. “I suppose they have by this time.”

“They have a great many young friends, and we have beautiful times together. But you won’t see many of them now. College closed last week.”

For two long days Allison and Leslie devoted themselves religiously to their relatives, taking them here and there in the car, showing them over the college and the town, and trying in all the ways they knew to make them have a good time; but when at last the two days and two nights were over, and the Robinsons had piled into their car and started away with grudging thanks for the efforts in their behalf, Leslie sat on the terrace musingly; and at last quite shyly she said:

“Cloudy, dear, what makes such a difference in people? Why are some so much harder to make have a good time than others? Why, I feel as if I’d lived years since day before yesterday, and I don’t feel as if they’d half enjoyed anything. I really wanted to make them happy, for I felt as if we’d taken so much from them when we took you; but I just seemed to fail, everything I did.”

Julia Cloud smiled.

“I don’t know what it is, dear, unless it is that some people have different ideals and standards from other people, and they can’t find their pleasure the same way. Your Aunt Ellen always wanted to have a lot of people around, and liked to go to tea-parties and dress a great deal; and she never cared for reading or study or music. But I think you’re mistaken about their not having had a good time. They appreciated your trying to do things for them, I know, for Aunt Ellen said to me that you were a very thoughtful girl. And the children enjoyed the victrola, especially the funny records. Herbert liked it that Allison let him drive his car when they went out. They enjoyed the eating, too, I know, even though Ellen did say she shouldn’t care to have her meals cooked by a servant; she should want to be sure they were clean.”

“Did she truly say that, Cloudy?” twinkled Leslie. “Isn’t she funny?” They both broke down and laughed.

“But I’m glad they came, Cloudy. I truly am. It was nice to play with the children, and nice to have a home to show our relatives, and nicest of all to have them see you––how beautiful you are at the head of the house.”

“Dear, flattering child!” said Julia Cloud lovingly. “It is so good to know you feel that way! But now here comes Allison, and we must finish up our plans for the trip and get ready to close the house for the summer.”

They had a wonderful trip to mountains and lakes and seaside, staying as long as they pleased wherever they liked, and everywhere making friends and having 280 good times; but toward the end of their trip the children began to get restless for the little pink-and-white cottage and home.

“We really ought to get back and see how the Christian Endeavor Society is getting along,” said Allison one day as they glided through a little village that reminded them of home. “I don’t see any place as nice as our town, do you, Cloudy? And I don’t feel quite right anywhere but home on Sunday, do you? For, really, all the Christian Endeavor societies I’ve been to this summer acted as if their members were all away on vacations and they didn’t care whether school kept or not.”

And so they went home to begin another happy winter. But the very first day there came a rift in their happiness in the shape of the new professor of chemistry, a man about Julia Cloud’s age, whom Ellen Robinson had met on her visit to Thayerville, and told about her sister. Ellen had suggested that maybe he could get her sister to take him to board!

To this day Julia Cloud has never decided whether Ellen really thought Julia would take a professor from the college to board, or whether she just sent him there as a joke. There was a third solution, which Julia Cloud kept in the back of her mind and only took out occasionally with an angry, troubled look when she was very much annoyed. It was that Ellen was still anxious to have her sister get married, and she had taken this way to get her acquainted with a man whom she thought a “good match”. If Julia had been sure that this idea had entered into her sister’s thoughts, she might have slammed the door in Professor Armitage’s face that night when he had the audacity to come and ask to be taken into Cloudy Villa as a boarder.

“Why, the very idea!” said Leslie with snapping eyes. “As if we wanted a man always around! No, indeed! Horrors! Wouldn’t that be awful?”

But Professor Armitage, like everybody else who came once to Cloudy Villa, liked it, and begged a thousand pardons for presuming, but came again and again, until even the children began to like him in a way, and did not in the least mind having him around.

But the day came at last, about the middle of the winter, or nearer to the spring, when Leslie and Allison began to realize that Professor Armitage came to see their Cloudy Jewel, and they met in solemn conclave to talk it over.