e was a rich man, and our Charlie is his
only child."

"Oh!" And Allie lapsed into silence again.

"What made you ask, Allie?" her mother inquired, after a pause.

"Nothing; only Mrs. Pennypoker said somebody told her he was very rich,
and that was the reason you'd let him come here, so maybe we could get
some of it; and she asked Mrs. Pennypoker if she hadn't seen the way I
hadn't had so much to do with Ned and Marjorie since he'd been here, and
all. Wasn't it horrid, mamma?"

Mrs. Burnam frowned. She was sorry to have such ideas put into the head
of her young daughter; and, during the past five months, she had grown
to feel that Charlie was almost one of her own children; so the
worldly-wise tone of these comments grated upon her ears.

"Grant had no right to tell you this," she said thoughtfully.

"I don't care if he did," Allie interrupted. "I knew 't wasn't true, and
I told him that I didn't think Charlie had any money, and we didn't want
any of it, if he had; we'd plenty of our own. But I wish people wouldn't
talk such things. I like Ned and Marjorie just as well as I used to; but
when Charlie's here in the house, and just as splendid as he can be, I
don't see why I shouldn't like him better. Nobody minded when I was with
Howard 'most all the time, and Charlie's just like another brother." And
she nodded conclusively as she resumed her work.

Mrs. Burnam watched her steadily for a moment, trying to read whether
there was any unspoken thought in her daughter's mind; but Allie looked
up, and her blue eyes met her mother's so squarely that Mrs. Burnam was
satisfied.

"Charlie does seem just like one of us," she assented heartily; "and I
know we've all enjoyed his being out here; but it isn't because he's
rich that we've liked him, it's because he's just what he is, a bright,
manly boy, without any airs or nonsense. Aunt Helen asked to have him
come to us, because he hadn't any other cousins; and it would have been
a pleasant six months for all of us, if it hadn't been for his terrible
illness." Mrs. Burnam paused; she could never speak of his accident
without a shudder.

"I'm glad it happened," returned Allie proudly. "If it hadn't, we
shouldn't ever have known how brave he was. And, besides, if it hadn't
been for that, we never should have known Dr. Brownlee half so well, and
he wouldn't have gone into camp with us; so you see there was some good
came out of it. But didn't we have a fine time in camp, mamm