ny nature generally asserted itself,
in spite of the weakness which troubles and old age bring. So when she
had occasion to speak to the old man about Davie, trying to make him
more hopeful concerning him, and more patient with his faults, she could
do so with a faith in the boy's future which could not fail sometimes to
inspire him with the same hopefulness.

And indeed Davie was not more wilful and wayward than is often the case
with lads of his age, nor was he idle, or inclined to do less than his
just share of what was to be done. On the contrary, he had great good
sense and perseverance in carrying out any plans of work which suited
his ideas of how work ought to be done. But unfortunately his plans
were not always exactly those of his grandfather. Of course he did not
hesitate to acknowledge his grandfather's right to do as he pleased in
his own place, when his grandmother put it to him in that way, and he
was quite as ready to acknowledge that his wisdom as to matters in
general, and as to farm-work in particular, was "not to be mentioned in
the same day" with that of his grandfather. But when the work was to be
done, he did not yield readily to suggestions, or even to commands, and
had a way of coming back to the disputed point, and even of carrying it,
to a certain extent, which looked to his grandfather like sheer
perversity.

And even when Davie's plans proved themselves to have been worthy of
consideration, because of the success that attended them now and then,
even success seemed a small matter to the stern old man, because of the
disobedience to his commands, or the ignoring of his known wishes which
the success implied.

So dear, bright, patient grannie had "her own adoes" between these two
whom she loved so well, and her best hope and comfort in all matters
which concerned them was Katie.

For Katie's first thought always was, her grandfather. That he should
have nothing to vex him, that his days should be brightened and his
cares lightened, seemed to Katie the chief thing there was to think
about. She had learned this from her grandmother, whose first thought
he had been for many a year and day, and Katie's many pretty ways of
"doing good to grandfather" did quite as much good to grannie.

As to Davie's "fancies," as she called his many plans and projects, she
had great interest in some of them, and gave him good help in carrying
them out, but she had no sympathy or patience with any sign o