lintie dear.'"

Rosemary worked feverishly, anxious to please the old lady and even
more anxious to be on her way. She wanted to know what the circus
agent had done about the farm and she was curious to know if Louisa was
displeased that their straits had become known to a stranger.

"There!" she said, after almost an hour's work. "I think I have it all
right--it makes sense, anyway. But there's a corner missing."

"I don't mind a corner, as long as you have the gist of it," returned
Miss Clinton gratefully. "I didn't want to write to Adelaide that I'd
destroyed her letter before I'd even read it. I'm sure I don't know
how to thank you, Rosemary!"

She wanted the girls to stay and have some of her sponge cake--baked
that afternoon--but they were in a fever of impatience to be gone.
When they finally found themselves out in the lane that took them to
the Hildreth house, Sarah was the first to speak.

"If she'd had a telephone we could have asked her what she wanted and
then we wouldn't have gone," she declared.

"Yes we would," smiled Rosemary. "That wasn't much to do--or it
wouldn't have been, if we weren't going to hear about the Gays. Miss
Clinton didn't know that."

"I see Mr. Robinson!" chirped Shirley as they came in sight of the
house.

CHAPTER XXIV

TRULY A SACRIFICE

"Did you buy the farm?" asked Sarah bluntly.

Richard and Warren and Jack and the circus agent sat on the top step
and below them were ranged Rosemary, Shirley and Sarah. Mr. Hildreth
had considerately gone into the kitchen to read.

"No," answered Mr. Robinson, "I didn't buy the place."

Three faces fell.

"But I've rented it," he went on, "and paid a quarter's rent in
advance."

"Is that just as good?" inquired Rosemary respectfully.

Mr. Robinson laughed and Warren nodded.

"Alec was over at milking time and he was feeling as gay as his name,"
said Warren. "I guess their troubles are over for a time."

Then Mr. Robinson explained what he had done and why and never did a
speaker have a more attentive audience.

"I won't bother you with the legal end of it," he said good-naturedly,
"but these children are under twenty-one and when their parents died a
guardian should have been appointed for them. If I tried to buy the
farm there would have to be a guardian appointed and even then I doubt
if he could give me a clear title.

"So, for many reasons, it is much simpler to rent the farm from them
and better, I a