Phebe, Her Profession

Little Mac Holden's cheerful questions interrupt Gifford Barrett's thoughts on a street in Helena, opening a family story full of quick exchanges. Mac shares candy, explains his mischief and introduces the stranger to the names and habits of his relatives. Among them is Aunt Teddy, Theodora McAlister Farrington, a novelist. Anna Chapin Ray's Phebe, Her Profession follows Teddy: Her Book and brings friendship, girls' lives and family relationships into its juvenile fiction.

The household conversations reveal how grand plans meet practical concerns. Hope and Theodora discuss Babe's proposal to care for a visiting child for a week, weighing her enthusiasm against questions of responsibility and Mac's possible influence. At a cottage called Valhalla, Phebe joins the family's teasing talk about names and heroes. These scenes offer readers a close view of affectionate disagreement, youthful ambitions and the everyday work of getting along, with much of the characterization carried by dialogue.