've banked that you can do it in thirty. If you
succeed, it gives me profit enough to take another contract. Do the
best you can."

There wasn't a mother's son among them who didn't appreciate my
position. There were a good many who knew Ruth and knew her through
what she had done for their families, and these understood it even
better. The dirt began to fly and it was a pretty sight to watch. I
never spoke again to the men. I simply directed their efforts. I spent
about half the time with a shovel in my hands myself. There was
scarcely a day when Ruth didn't come out to watch the work with an
anxious eye but after the first week there was little need for
anxiety. I think she would have liked to take a shovel herself. One
Saturday Dick came out and actually insisted upon being allowed to do
this. The men knew him and liked to see such spirit.

Well, we clipped ten days from my estimate, which left me with all my
bills paid and with a handsome profit. Better still I had secured on
the strength of Carleton's gang another contract.

The night I deposited my profit in the bank, Ruth quite unconsciously
took her pad and pencil and sat down by my side as usual to figure up
the household expenses for the week. We had been a bit extravagant
that week because she had been away from the house a good deal. The
total came to four dollars and sixty-seven cents. When Ruth had
finished I took the pad and pencil away from her and put it in my
pocket.

"There's no use bothering your head any more over these details," I
said.

She looked at me almost sadly.

"No, Billy," she said, with a sigh, "there isn't, is there?"

CHAPTER XIX

ONCE AGAIN A NEW ENGLANDER

During all those years we had never seen or heard of any of our old
neighbors. They had hardly ever entered our thoughts except as very
occasionally the boy ran across one of his former playmates. Shortly
after this, however, business took me out into the old neighborhood
and I was curious enough to make a few inquiries. There was no change.
My trim little house stood just as it then stood and around it were
the other trim little houses. There were a few new houses and a few
new-comers, but all the old-timers were still there. I met Grover, who
was just recovering from a long sickness. He didn't recognize me at
first. I was tanned and had filled out a good deal.

"Why, yes," he said, after I had told my name. "Let me see, you went
off to Australia or somewhere,