red the little girl promptly.

"Well, Tilly, ye go tell your Aunt Mary I have been in an eelevator
handlin' grain, and I'm covered wi' fine dust and chaff that sticks me.
I canna come until I've had a bath, and put on clean clothing. Tell her
to go ahead."

The child vanished. In a second she was back. "She said she won't do
it, and take all the time you want. But I wish you'd hurry, for she
won't let me either."

Dannie hurried. But the hasty bath and the fresh clothing felt so good
he was in a softened mood when he approached Mary's door again. Tilly
was waiting on the step, and ran to meet him. Tilly was a dream.
Almost, Dannie understood why Mary had brought her. Tilly led him to
the table, and pulled back a chair for him, and he lifted her into
hers, and as Mary set dish after dish of food on the table, Tilly
filled in every pause that threatened to grow awkward with her chatter.
Dannie had been a very lonely man, and he did love Mary's cooking.
Until then he had not realized how sore a trial six months of his own
had been.

"If I was a praying mon, I'd ask a blessing, and thank God fra this
food," said Dannie.

"What's the matter with me?" asked Mary.

"I have never yet found anything," answered Dannie. "And I do thank ye
fra everything. I believe I'm most thankful of all fra the clean
clothes and the clean bed. I'm afraid I was neglectin' myself, Mary."

"Will, you'll not be neglected any more," said Mary. "Things have
turned over a new leaf here. For all you give, you get some return,
after this. We are going to do business in a businesslike way, and
divide even. I liked that bank account, pretty will, Dannie. Thank you,
for that. And don't think I spint all of it. I didn't spind a hundred
dollars all togither. Not the price of one horse! But it made me so
happy I could fly. Home again, and the things I've always wanted, and
nothing to fear. Oh, Dannie, you don't know what it manes to a woman to
be always afraid! My heart is almost jumping out of my body, just with
pure joy that the old fear is gone."

"I know what it means to a mon to be afraid," said Dannie. And vividly
before him loomed the awful, distorted, dying face of Jimmy.

Mary guessed, and her bright face clouded.

"Some day, Dannie, we must have a little talk," she said, "and clear up
a few things neither of us understand. 'Til thin we will just farm, and
be partners, and be as happy as iver we can. I don't know as you mean
to, but if yo