28.

o--- AUNT MARIAN'S REVENGE ---0

A piercing shriek rang through the Brown's living room. Mr. Brown's pipe dropped from his mouth and his paper to his lap.

"Good gosh, Anabelle", he exclaimed, "What's the matter?" Mrs. Brown jumped to her feet and paced wildly. She threw a letter at her husband shrieking, "It's happened at last--Aunt Marian is coming to visit us."

"So what?" said Mr. Brown replacing his pipe, "Aunt Lucy came out here last year and you never tore the house down. Mrs Brown stared in disbelief, "What's wrong with you Bruce, have you forgotten the money we borrowed from her--and the reason she helps us financially is because we named our child after her?"

Mr. Brown nodded, "yes of course, I see what you mean. You're afraid she'll be sore when she finds out that Marion isn't a girl."

"Sore! That's not the word for it. I gave her more than an impression. For years I've been writing her a pack of lies about our daughter Marian's activities. Who would ever have thought she'd take a trip clear across the contin- ent to see her. When she finds out how deceitful I've been she'll probably demand we return all we owe her."

"My word, Anabelle, I never knew you went that far in your letters. I agree we are certainly in a pickle but there is nothing to do but face the music", Mr. Brown said. Mrs. Brown wrung her hands, "But we can't, we can't

it will simply ruin us."

"Maybe not", Mr Brown said thoughtfully, "it will be summer vacation by the time she gets here and butch is going to summer camp again this year--we'll just tell her our daughter went to a girl's camp."

"Ha," said Anabelle derisively, "you dont know my Aunt Marian. She'd insist on going to the camp--she says she is coming out here expressly to see her namesake." Mrs. Brown was becoming hysterical. "We must do something, think of something! Oh goodness, if Butch could only be a girl for just two weeks."