often said:--

"We have no right to that $1200; we spend four times as much time here
as you all do in town."

"That's all right daughter, but I wish you would spend twice as much
time here as you do, and I also wish that the $1200 were twice as much
as it is."

Time was running so smoothly with us that we "knocked on wood" each
morning for fear our luck would break.

The cottage which had once served as a temporary granary, and which had
been moved to the building line two years before, was now turned into an
overflow house against the time when Jack should come home for the
winter vacation. Polly had decided to have "just as many as we can hold,
and some more," and as the heaviest duties fell upon her, the rest of us
could hardly find fault. The partitions were torn out of the cottage,
and it was opened up into one room, except for the kitchen, which was
turned into a bath-room. Six single iron beds were put up, and the place
was made comfortable by an old-fashioned, air-tight, sheet-iron stove
with a great hole in the top through which big chunks and knots of wood
were fed. This stove would keep fire all night, and, while not up to
latter-day demands, it was quite satisfactory to the warm-blooded boys
who used it. The expense of overhauling the cottage was $214. Tom, Kate,
and the grand-girls were to be with us, of course, and so were the
Kyrles, Sir Tom, Jessie Gordon, Florence, Madeline, and Alice Chase.
Jack was to bring Jarvis and two other men besides Frank and Phil of
last year's party.

The six boys were bestowed in the cottage, where they made merry
without seriously interrupting sleep in the main house. The others found
comfortable quarters under our roof, except Sir Tom, who would go home
some time in the night, to return before lunch the next day.

With such a houseful of people, the cook was worked to the bone; but she
gloried in it, and cackled harder than ever. I believe she gave warning
twice during those ten days; but Polly has a way with her which Mary
cannot resist. I do not think we could have driven that cook out of the
house with a club when there was such an opportunity for her to
distinguish herself. Her warnings were simply matters of habit.

The holidays were filled with such things as a congenial country
house-party can furnish--the wholesomest, jolliest things in the world;
and the end, when it came, was regretted by all. I grew to feel a little
bit jealous of Jarvis's attentions to