r shoulders and thus in state
take a formal leave of the departing guest--alone. And it was fully a
half hour before Everett came out of her room, and Rose Mary saw him
slip a tiny pocket testament which had always lain on Miss Lavinia's
table into his inside breast pocket, and his face was serious almost
to the point of exhaustion. The time he had spent in Miss Lavinia's
room little Miss Amanda had busily occupied in packing the generous
"snack," which Uncle Tucker hovered over and saw bestowed to his
entire satisfaction with the traps Everett had strapped up in his
room. Stonie's large eyes grew more and more wistful, and after he and
Uncle Tucker retired with their good-byes all said he whispered to
Rose Mary that he wanted to say just one more thing to Mr. Mark.

Tenderly Everett bent over the cot until the blush rosebud that Miss
Amanda had shyly pinned in his buttonhole as her good-by before she
had retired, brushed the little fellow's cheek as he ran his arm under
the sturdy little nightgowned shoulders and drew him as close as he
dared.

"Say," whispered Stonie in his ear, "if you see a man that would buy
Sniffer's other two spotted pups I would sell 'em to him. I want to
get them teeth for Aunt Viney. I could get 'em to him in a box."

"How much do you want for them?" asked Everett with a little gulp in
his voice as his heart beat against the arm of the young provider
assuming his obligations so very early in life.

"A dollar a-piece, I guess, or maybe ten," answered Stonie vaguely.

"I'll sell them right away at your price," answered Everett. "I'll see
that Mr. Crabtree has them packed and shipped." He paused for a
moment. He would have given worlds to have taken the two little dogs
with him and have left the money with Stonie--but he didn't dare.

"And," murmured Stonie drowsily, "don't forget that good man for Rose
Mamie if you see him--and--and--" but suddenly he had drifted off into
the depths, thus abandoning himself to the crush of a hug Everett had
been hungry to give him.

And out in the starlit dusk he found Rose Mary sitting on the steps,
freed at last, with her responsibilities all asleep--and before him
there lay just this one--good-by.

Silently he seated himself beside her and as silently lit his cigar
and began to puff the rings out into the air. In the perfect flood of
perfume that poured around and over them and came in great gusts from
the garden he detected a new tone, wild and wood