"THE GIRLS CAME TRIPPING DOWN IN THEIR DAINTY EVENING DRESSES"

OAKLEIGH

BY

ELLEN DOUGLAS DELAND

ILLUSTRATED BY

ALICE BARBER STEPHENS

NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1898

Copyright, 1895, by HARPER & BROTHERS.

All rights reserved.

TO

MY SISTERS

ILLUSTRATIONS

"THE GIRLS CAME TRIPPING DOWN IN THEIR DAINTY EVENING DRESSES" ... Frontispiece

"JACK LAY AT FULL LENGTH ON THE GRASS"

"MISS TRINKETT TOOK AN AFFECTIONATE FAREWELL THE NEXT DAY"

"'YOUR VOICE SOUNDS SORT OF UNNATURAL, TOO,' ADDED MRS. PARKER"

"'CYNTHY FRANKLIN, IT'S MORE THAN TIME YOU HAD A MOTHER'"

"'I DON'T LIKE HER, AND I WON'T'"

"'YOU ARE A PERFECT DEAR!' SHE WHISPERED. 'EVERYTHING IS NICER SINCE YOU CAME'"

"THEN THEY STARTED HOME, CARRYING THE CUSHIONS BETWEEN THEM" (Missing from source book)

"'I WANT TO KNOW!' SHE EXCLAIMED, DRAWING OFF HER OLD GLOVES"

THE START FROM OAKLEIGH

"'WE SHALL SINK IF THIS GOES ON,' SHE SAID"

"POOR BOB! HIS JOY HAD BEEN QUICKLY TURNED TO MOURNING"

"'DON'T HOLD MY ARM SO TIGHT; IT HURTS'" (Missing from source book)

"CYNTHIA CRIED UNTIL HER EYES SMARTED AND HER HEAD ACHED"

"'OH, NEAL, WON'T YOU COME BACK?'"

"'I HOPE THEE IS NEITHER EXTRAVAGANT NOR LAZY'"

"SHE FOUND HER PERFECTLY CONSCIOUS"

"'THERE! LOOK, MY OWN RAG DOLL!'"