r. Broxton Day is my
father, and he used to live in Poketown. But he came away from there a
long, long time ago."

"Yes? I knowed there was Days in Poketown; but I ain't been there myself
for goin' on twelve year. I lived there a year, or so, arter my man
died, with my darter. She's teached the Poketown school for twenty
year."

"Oh!" cried Janice. "Then you can't really tell me what Poketown is
like--now?"

"Why, it's quite a town, I b'lieve," said the old lady. "'Rill writes me
thet the _ho_-tel's jest been painted, and there's a new blacksmith shop
built. You goin' to school there--What did you say your name was?"

"Janice Day. I don't know whether I shall go to school while I am in
Poketown, or not. If there are a whole lot of nice girls--and a few nice
boys--who go to your daughter's school, I shall certainly want to go,
too," continued Janice, smiling again at the little old lady.

"Wal, 'Rill Scattergood's teached long enough, _I_ tell her," declared
the other. "I'm goin' to Poketown now more'n half to git her to give up
at the end o' this term. With what she's laid by, and what I've got
left, we could live mighty comfertable together. Who's your uncle,
child?" pursued Mrs. Scattergood, who had not lost sight of her main
inquiry.

"Mr. Jason Day. He's my father's half brother."

"Ya-as. I didn't know them Days very well when I lived there. How long
did you say you was goin' to stay in Poketown?"

"I don't know, Ma'am," said Janice, sadly. "Father didn't know how long
he'd be in Mexico----"

"Good Land o' Goshen!" ejaculated Mrs. Scattergood, suddenly, "ain't
that where there's fightin' goin' on right now?"

"Yes'm. That's why he couldn't take me with him," confessed Janice,
eager to talk with a sympathetic listener. "You see, I guess 'most all
the money we've got is invested in some mine down there. The fighting
came near the mine, and the superintendent ran away and left
everything."

"Goodness! why wouldn't he?" exclaimed the old lady, knitting faster
than ever in her excitement.

"But then that made it so my father had to go down there and 'tend to
things," explained Janice.

"What! right in the middle of the war? Good Land o' Goshen!"

"There wasn't anybody else _to_ go," said Janice, sadly. "The
stockholders might lose all they put into it. And our money, too. Why!
we had to rent our house furnished. That's why I am coming East to Uncle
Jason's while father is away."

"Too bad! too bad!"