ft voice. He was
Susan's widowed brother-in-law, and the neighbors said he was clever,
but hadn't no more spunk'n a wet rag.

Susan had risen and laid down her knitting. She approached the table and
rested one hand on it, a hawk-like brightness in her eyes.

"What you got in that bag?" asked she.

Solon was enjoying his certainty that he held the key to the situation.

"I got a mite o' cheese," he answered, approaching the fire and
spreading his hands to the blaze.

"You got anything else? Now, Solon, don't you keep me here on
tenter-hooks! You got a letter?"

"Well," said Solon, "I thought I might as well look into the post-office
an' see."

"You thought so! You went a-purpose! An' you walked because you al'ays
was half shackled about takin' horses out in bad goin'. You hand me over
that letter!"

Solon approached the table, a furtive twinkle in his blue eyes. He
lifted the bag and opened it slowly. First, he took out a wedge-shaped
package.

"That's the cheese," said he. "Herb."

"My land!" ejaculated Miss Susan, while the schoolmaster looked on and
smiled. "You better ha' come to me for cheese. I've got a plenty, tansy
an' sage, an' you know it. I see it! There! you gi' me holt on 't!" It
was a fugitive white gleam in the bottom of the bag; she pounced upon it
and brought up a letter. Midway in the act of tearing it open, she
paused and looked at Solon with droll entreaty. "It's your letter, by
rights!" she added tentatively.

"Law!" said he, "I dunno who it's directed to, but I guess it's as much
your'n as anybody's."

Miss Susan spread open the sheets with an air of breathless delight. She
bent nearer the lamp. "'Dear father and auntie,'" she began.

"There!" remarked Solon, in quiet satisfaction, still warming his hands
at the blaze. "There! you see _'t is_ to both."

"My! how she does run the words together! Here!" Miss Susan passed it to
the schoolmaster. "You read it. It's from Jenny. You know she's away to
school, an' we didn't think best for her to come home Christmas. I knew
she'd write for Christmas. Solon, I told you so!"

The schoolmaster took the letter, and read it aloud. It was a simple
little message, full of contentment and love and a girl's new delight in
life. When he had finished, the two older people busied themselves a
moment without speaking, Solon in picking up a chip from the hearth, and
Susan in mechanically smoothing the mammoth roses on the side of the
carpet-bag.

"W