st weeping.

"I don't believe it's broke," said Aunt Mary, "but you might look and see.
Oh, Granite--I--" she stopped and looked an unutterable meaning.

"It stormed, didn't it?" said the maid.

"Stormed!" said Aunt Mary. "I guess it did storm. I guess it hurricaned. I
know it did. I'm sure of it."

"But you're safe now," said the girl, tucking her up as snugly as if she
had been an infant in arms.

"Yes, I'm safe now," said Aunt Mary, "but--" she looked very earnest--"but,
oh, my Granite, how I did need that white fuzzy stuff to drink this
morning. I never wanted nothin' so bad in all my life afore."

Janice stood by the bed, her face full of regret that Aunt Mary had known
any aching void.

Aunt Mary grew yet more earnest.

"Granite," she said, "you mind what I tell you. That ought to be
advertised. I sh'd think you could patent it. Folks ought to know about
it."

Then she laid herself out in bed. "My heavens alive!" she sighed sweetly,
"there's nothin' like home. Not anywhere--not nowhere!"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - A REPOSEFUL INTERVAL

The next date upon the little gold and ivory memorandum card which hung
beside Aunt Mary's watch was that set for Burnett's picnic, but its
dawning found both host and guest too much attached to their beds to
desire any fetes champetre just then.

Burnett was in that very weak state which follows in the immediate wake of
only too many yachts,--and Aunt Mary was sleeping one of her long drawn out
and utterly restorative sleeps.

Jack went in and looked at her.

"It did storm awfully," he said to Janice, who was sitting by the window.
The maid just smiled, nodded, and laid her finger on her lip. She never
encouraged conversation when her charge was reposing.

Jack went softly out and turned his steps toward the room of the other
wreck.

"Well, how are stocks to-day?" he asked cheerfully on entering.

Burnett was stretched out pillowless and looked black under his hollow
eyes. But he appeared to be on the road to recovery.

"Jack," he said seriously, "what in thunder makes me always so ready to go
on the water? I should think after a while I'd learn a thing or two."

Jack leaned his elbows on the high carved footboard and returned his
friend's look with one of equal seriousness.

"What makes all of us do lots of things?" he asked. "Why don't we all
learn?"

Burnett sighed.

"That's a fact; why don't we?" he said weakly. And then he shut his eyes
again and