Nancy was at once attracted to both Grace and Allie, and responded to their cordial welcome.
“It’s nice of you to take me in this way,” she told them.
“Mercy! It’s a pleasure for us,” Grace assured her. “We don’t see a girl of our own age once in a month unless we go to Masonville, and our visits there aren’t very frequent, Miss Drew.”
“Oh, please call me by my first name,” Nancy begged. “Everyone does.”
The three girls were soon laughing and talking together as though they had always been friends. Nancy knew that she was going to like the Horner girls, and it was evident they were delighted with her.
Presently, Grace deftly removed a cake from the oven and set it on the table to cool.
“Let’s go into the living room,” she suggested. “My cake is done, so I don’t need to watch it. I’ll give you a piece before you go, Nancy.”
“And Grace’s cakes are the real thing,” Allie declared. “I’m not much of a cook myself. I’d rather be outdoors.”
“We don’t wish you any bad luck, Nancy,” Grace laughed as she led Nancy into the next room. “But Allie and I don’t care how long it storms!”
“Neither do I, so long as I get home before dark,” Nancy replied.
Although the living room was warm and comfortable, it was nearly bare of furniture. The floors had been painted and were scantily covered with handmade rag rugs. With the exception of an old fashioned divan, an inexpensive table, a few straight-back chairs, and an old wood stove which furnished heat, there was little in the room. However, dainty