atch the frolicsome children from the window.
"They're real nice-looking, Persis, I will say that. One, two, three
and the baby's four. Somebody said five."

With a start Persis recalled the suspicious peace which for some time
past had pervaded the establishment. "There's another," she said, "too
little for school. Mary! Mary, do you know where Celia is?"

Mary approached. Her consciousness of being a bearer of important
tidings communicated itself in some indefinable fashion to the other
women. They looked up, alert on the instant.

"Celia's setting up in Mr. Joel's room." Mary gave her great news
deliberately as if to enjoy the full flavor.

Persis started to her feet. Mrs. West raised her hands with an
eloquent gesture.

"Has he got one of his bad spells?" she demanded. "And that child in
his room. Well, fools rush--"

"She's playing he's her little boy," explained Mary, making the most of
the sensation of being an actor in a real drama. "She fed him his soup
and slopped him, but he took me up sharp when I tried to stop her. He
acts as if she's got him clean bewitched."

"Well!" exclaimed Mrs. West, as Persis looked at her dumbly. "I never
expected to live to see that Scripture fulfilled. The wolf and lamb
lying down together and a weaned child in a cockatrice's den."

"Are you sure he wasn't angry?" asked Persis, still a little pale and
doubtful.

Mary bridled.

"Go and see for yourself, Miss Dale, if you don't believe me. When I
tried to stop her eating a good half of that broth, and chicken as high
as 'tis, he the same as called me a fool for meddling. But you'd
better go up-stairs. You won't be satisfied till you've heard for
yourself."

In that Mary spoke truly. Her story was too incredible to be accepted
without investigation. Persis' incredulity did not desert her till
half-way up the stairs she was met by a child's voice, fond and
confident.

"Uncle Joel, ain't God cruel to make some dogs without tails?"

And then as her brother's unfamiliar laugh reached her ears, Persis
turned and went softly down the stairs.

CHAPTER XVII

ENID

If Persis Dale's extraordinary action in adopting a family _en masse_
had stirred Clematis from center to circumference, that agitation was
trivial in comparison with the flutter produced by Joel's capitulation.
Mrs. West, backed up by Mary, told the news to auditors frankly
incredulous who yet were sufficiently impressed by her sinc