t to be obliged to give up the place at an early
day. Father's business affairs have been going from bad to worse, until
now there seems to be no hope of our keeping Treasureholme."

"Perhaps it may not be so bad as you imagine," suggested Bab softly.
"'Never give up until you have to.' That is my motto."

"You wouldn't be the Barbara I have heard so much about if it weren't.
But to come to the story. Treasureholme has been in our family, as I
have already said, for many generations. My ancestor who founded the old
place was one of the pioneers here. He was rich when he came here, but
he foresaw a great future for what is now Chicago, so he brought his
family and all his worldly goods here. He said confidently that a great
city was certain to spring up here some day. You see how true was his
prophecy. It was almost uncanny as I look at it now."

The girls nodded, but said nothing.

"Gracious! Did you see that?" called Ruth, with a trace of excitement in
her tone.

"No, no. What is it?" cried the girls.

"Oh, nothing, only I ran down a cow," answered the fair driver, trying
to speak carelessly.

"Ran down a cow!" exclaimed Bab, peering through the curtain windows.

"You needn't look for her. She is a mile or more back now. I didn't run
over her. She appeared so suddenly out of the snow cloud that I didn't
see her until the car was almost on top of her. I must have hit her only
a glancing blow, for I barely felt the jar. I hope I didn't hurt the
poor thing."

"So long as we keep on four wheels, please don't interrupt us," begged
Miss Presby severely, whereat there was a series of giggles from the
girls. "Where was I, girls?"

"Still at Chicago," replied Mollie. "You were speaking of your
ancestor's prophecy."

"Oh, yes. At the time they were living in the garrison, at the first
fort ever built on the Chicago River. You know the Indians were pretty
thick hereabouts at that period."

"Indians!" murmured Grace apprehensively.

"Yes. After a time our ancestors built Treasureholme. That is why it is
so old-fashioned now, though many changes necessarily have been made in
the house since then, but the main part is practically as it was built
by my pioneer ancestor. The boards that were used were laboriously sawed
out and the timbers hewn by hand. It must have taken years to build the
place. Outwardly it now has a more modern appearance, each succeeding
ancestor adding and improving. But for a long time after it w