Mrs. Jardine looked at her speculatively. "Ummm!" she murmured.
Kate laughed.
"For eighteen years I have been under marching orders," said Kate.
"Over a year ago I was advised by a minister to 'take the wings of
morning' so I took wing. I started on one grand flight and fell
ker-smash in short order. Life since has been a series of
battering my wings until I have almost decided to buy some
especially heavy boots, and walk the remainder of the way. As a
concrete example, I started out yesterday morning wearing a hat
that several very reliable parties assured me would so assist me
to flight that I might at least have a carriage. Where, oh, where
are my hat and my carriage now? The carriage, non est! The hat --
I am humbly hoping some little country girl, who has lived a
life as barren as mine, will find the remains and retrieve the
velvet bow for a hair-ribbon. As for the man that Leghorn hat was
supposed to symbolize, he won't even look my way when I appear in
my bobby little sailor. He's as badly crushed out of existence as
my beautiful hat."
"You never should have been wearing such a hat to travel in, my
dear," murmured Mrs. Jardine.
"Certainly not!" said Kate. "I knew it. My sister told me that.
Common sense told me that! But what has that got to do with the
fact that I WAS wearing the hat? I guess I have you there!"
"Far from it!" said Mrs. Jardine. "If you're going to start out
in life, calmly ignoring the advice of those who love you, and the
dictates of common sense, the result will be that soon the wheels
of life will be grinding you, instead of a train making bag-rags
of your hat."
"Hummm!" said Kate. "There IS food for reflection there. But
wasn't it plain logic, that if the hat was to bring the man, it
should be worn where at any minute he might see it?"
"But my dear, my dear! If such a man as a woman like you should
have, had seen you wearing that hat in the morning, on a railway
train, he would merely have thought you prideful and extravagant.
You would have been far more attractive to any man I know in your
blue sunbonnet."
"I surely have learned that lesson," said Kate. "Hereafter,
sailors or sunbonnets for me in the morning. Now what may I do to
add to your comfort?"
"Leave me for an hour until I take a nap, and then we'll have
lunch and go to a lecture. I can go to-day, perfectly well, after
an hour's rest."
So Kate went for a very interesting walk around the grounds. When
she returned Mrs. Jardine was still sleeping so she wrote Nancy
Ellen, telling all about her adventure, but not a word about
losing her hat. Then she had a talk with Jennie Weeks whom she
found lingering in the hall near her door. When at last that nap
was over, a new woman seemed to have developed. Mrs. Jardine was
so refreshed and interested the remainder of the day that it was
easier than before for Kate to see how shocked and ill she had
been. As she helped dress her for lunch, Kate said to Mrs.
Jardine: "I met the manager as I was going to post a letter to my
sister, so I asked him always to send you the same waiter. He
said he would, and I'd like you to pay particular attention to her
appearance, and the way she does her work."