you to try it."

Sounds of fearful panic came from the chicken yard, and Dorothy rushed
out, swiftly laying avenging hands on the disturber of the peace. One of
the twins was chasing Abdul Hamid around the coop with a lath, as he
explained between sobs, "to make him lay." Mrs. Holmes bore down upon
Dorothy before any permanent good had been done.

"How dare you!" she cried. "How dare you lay hands on my child! Come,
Ebbie, come to mamma. Bless his little heart, he shall chase the chickens
if he wants to, so there, there. Don't cry, Ebbie. Mamma will get you
another lath and you shall play with the chickens all the afternoon.
There, there!"

Harlan appeared at this juncture, and in a few quiet, well-chosen words
told Mrs. Holmes that the chicken coop was his property, and that neither
now nor at any other time should any one enter it without his express
permission.

"Upon my word," remarked Mrs. Holmes, still soothing the unhappy twin.
"How high and mighty we are when we're living off our poor dead uncle's
bounty! Telling his wife's own cousin what she's to do, and what she
isn't! Upon my word!"

So saying, Mrs. Holmes retired to the house, her pace hastened by howls
from the other twin, who was in trouble with her older brother somewhere
in her "apartment."

Dorothy looked at Harlan, undecided whether to laugh or to cry. "Poor
little woman," he said, softly; "don't you fret. We'll have them out of
the house no later than to-morrow."

"All of them?" asked Dorothy, eagerly, as Miss St. Clair strolled into the
front yard.

Harlan's brow clouded and he shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.
"I don't know," he said, slowly, "whether I've got nerve enough to order a
woman out of my house or not. Let's wait and see what happens."

A sob choked Dorothy, and she ran swiftly into the house, fortunately
meeting no one on her way to her room. Dick ventured out of the barn and
came up to Harlan, who was plainly perplexed.

"Very, very mild arrival," commented Mr. Chester, desiring to put his host
at his ease. "I've never known 'em to come so peacefully as they have
to-day. Usually there's more or less disturbance."

"Disturbance," repeated Harlan. "Haven't we had a disturbance to-day?"

"We have not," answered Dick, placidly. "Wait till young Ebeneezer and
Rebecca get more accustomed to their surroundings, and then you'll have a
Fourth of July every day, with Christmas, Thanksgiving, and St. Patrick's
Day thrown