There was a gratified smile on his face when he finished.
"That is certainly a lengthy letter for a twelve-year-old girl to write," he said, in a pleased tone, "and cannot fail to be interesting to Joyce.
The letters she wrote me from the Cuckoo's Nest were stiff, short scrawls compared to this.

I must tell my Little Colonel how proud I am of her improvement." His words of praise were not spoken, however.

He expressed his appreciation, later, by leaving on her table a box of foreign correspondence paper.

It was of the best quality he could find in Tours, and to Lloyd's delight the monogram engraved on it was even prettier than Eugenia's.
"Why did Papa Jack write this on the first sheet in the box, mothah ?" she asked, coming to her with a sentence written in her father's big, businesslike hand: '_There is no surer way to build a Road of the Loving Heart in the memory of absent friends, than to bridge the space between with the cheer and sympathy and good-will of friendly letters._' "Why did Papa Jack write that ?" she repeated.
"Because he saw your last letter to Joyce, and was so pleased with the improvement you have made," answered Mrs.Sherman.

"He has given you a good text for your writing-desk." "I'll paste it in the top," said Lloyd.