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"About ten days ago," related Amy, "I reoelved a letter from my cousin, Billy Spencer, telling me that a friend of his, a Mr. Gilmore, was in Chicago Btudying law, and he asked me to be nice to him. 'He's going along on his own account,' Billy wrote, 'for hit father hasn't any sympathy with his legal ambitions. But he's sure to make good, for he's a fine, bright fellow, and his only fault is a little shyness. He needs bringing, out and you're the one to do it, Amy.' "Of course, that flattered me, and I determined to become young Gilmore's Social guide, philosopher and friend. I sent him a note telling him that I was at home Fridays, afternoon and evening. I asked him to call very toon, as I considered any close friend of Cousin Billy's a friend of mine." "Surely, that was very nice," commented Georgia. "Yes, I was trying to be nice to ilm," sighed Amy. "Well, he came this afternoon. When we had spoken of Cousin Billy and I had asked him how he liked Chicago there came a pause that I knew could only be filled with tea, so I told our maid, Helga, to bring some at once.
'Do you take cream and sugar?' 1 Inquired.
'No, I prefer it straight,' he said so jauntily that for a happy moment I congratulated myself that I had succeeded in putting him at his ease. He took one swallow from the cup I gave him and then to his horror and mine it crashed to the floor.
"While he choked and sputtered, I suddenly became conscious of a horrible burning sensation on my lips, to which I had just lifted my cup when the crash came.
'It's ginger' I cried.
'Yes,' he answered, with tears in ibis eyes.
"At that moment Helga reappeared iand announced calmly that she thought she had brought in the wrong teapot. Then I knew I had given poor Mr. Gilmore some of my grandmother's hot ginger brew which she occasionally takes in small but concentrated doses for her cold. "I don't know which was the more embarrassed, he. tr I, while Helga picked up the fragments of the cup and mopped.the floor. I tried to explain laughingly how the ginger happened to be substituted for the tea, but evidently the humor of the situation did not strike him, for he said, very solemnly, 'I'm extremely sorry about the cup.' "I was gaylj assuring him that one cup more or less didn't in the least matter, when to my astonishment and despair, Helga rose from the floor and said: 'Miss Amy, you make big mistake. Your mudder have told me the cups cost very much. She say I must be very careful. I now tell her I have not break this cup. Then she sailed from the room with a righteous air."
"What did you do?"
"I said with a weak effort at lightness, 'Isn't she droll?' and then I laughed. But there was no response to my merriment. My oaller sat still and solemn and I could think of nothing in the world to say.
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