. It's rather a--a--jar, to be defied, or ignored
all of a sudden. Bill is bright----"

"Too bright," sighed Tabitha, somewhat sarcastically, Gloriana thought.

"He _is_ bright!" championed the younger girl warmly. "This morning I
happened to overhear him teasing the girls at play under the kitchen
window, and he declared that it was a mistake for Inez and Irene to be
twins; that it should have been Susie and Inez, and then their names
would have been Suez and Inez."

Tabitha smiled in spite of herself, then said heatedly, "But he is so
mean about it! To-day while you were at the bakery and he thought I
had gone for the mail, I heard a commotion in the yard, and what do you
suppose I found him doing?"

Gloriana shook her head.

"He had the girls and Rosslyn lined up by the woodpile and was making
them carry in _his_ wood. Even little Janie was loaded down with two
immense sticks, so heavy she could hardly toddle with them."

"What did you do?"

"Made them drop their loads right where they were, and he had to carry
it all in by himself."

"Without even Toady's help?"

"All by himself!" repeated Tabitha emphatically.

"I am afraid--we are not apt--to----"

"To what?" asked Tabitha, as her companion stammered in confusion and
paused abruptly.

"To gain anything--_much_ of anything by trying to force Billiard into
being good."

"How _are_ we to make him mind, then? He won't coax. You can't
flatter him into behaving himself, and threats don't do a mite of good.
_I_ think a smart dose of the hickory stick would be the most effective
medicine for such cases as his."

Glory looked dubious.

"You don't agree with me?" suggested Tabitha.

"He is such a big boy to be thrashed," she evaded.

"He is such a big boy to act that way!"

"Yes, that's true, but----"

How she would have finished her sentence Tabitha never found out, for
at that moment a piercing scream broke the stillness of the desert
afternoon, followed by a medley of excited accusations, denials,
threats, and Billiard's taunting laugh. Tabitha flew to the rescue of
her brood and found Irene stretched full length in the gravel, with
Mercedes and Toady deluging her with water, while the rest of the
sisters danced frantically about the trio.

"He--he shot her!" cried Rosslyn indignantly, at sight of the slender
figure in the doorway.

"I gave her fair warning," said defiant Billiard.

"Hand me your gun!" demanded Tabitha in exasperatio