low and fight for composure whenever any one made an unexpected inquiry.
But the defenses she built up about this supersensitiveness of hers were probably the secret of her success. For to avoid the discomfort of unfamiliarity with any feature of her position, she studied diligently every detail of it. And it wasn't long before she established for herself a reputation for accuracy and thoroughness. Also her determination to conquer her diffidence, to overcome her quailing dread of conspicuousness, demanded that she never beg off from any service asked of her, howsoever difficult.
Katherine Park was very proud of the results of her suggestion to the Board of Managers. And she was not the only one proud of Reba either.
Aunt Augusta had sniffed, true enough, at the painted sign, and grunted, "Humph," at sight of the desk and telephone before which she found her niece seated, when she and Cousin Syringa dropped in on Reba at the close of one of Augusta's rare Boston shopping-days. "To find out," she told Reba dryly, "what nonsense they'd find her up to this time." But Reba learned later that Aunt Augusta had not been wholly displeased. Mr. James Perkins told Reba not long after her aunt's call that he overheard her say to Lena Hanscome's mother, after Wednesday evening meeting one night, that she thought it was real nice about her Lena's getting the assistant librarian's position down in Union, and, by the way, had she happened to hear yet about their Reba's being a general secretary at the Women's Alliance in Boston?
"A general secretary! Oh, Mr. Perkins!" Reba had
