nging up a family. She's
got a good deal of her mother in her, but she hasn't got all. She's too
peppery and too fond of having her own way. Then she's always got to be
ahead in everything. That kind make good church-workers and missionaries
and school teachers, but they don't make good wives. They fret all their
energy away, like colts, and get cut on the wire."

Mrs. Kronborg laughed. "Give me the graham crackers I put in your pocket
for Thor. He's hungry. You're a funny man, Peter. A body wouldn't think,
to hear you, you was talking about your own daughters. I guess you see
through 'em. Still, even if Thea ain't apt to have children of her own,
I don't know as that's a good reason why she should wear herself out on
other people's."

"That's just the point, mother. A girl with all that energy has got to
do something, same as a boy, to keep her out of mischief. If you don't
want her to marry Ray, let her do something to make herself
independent."

"Well, I'm not against it. It might be the best thing for her. I wish I
felt sure she wouldn't worry. She takes things hard. She nearly cried
herself sick about Wunsch's going away. She's the smartest child of 'em
all, Peter, by a long ways."

Peter Kronborg smiled. "There you go, Anna. That's you all over again.
Now, I have no favorites; they all have their good points. But you,"
with a twinkle, "always did go in for brains."

Mrs. Kronborg chuckled as she wiped the cracker crumbs from Thor's chin
and fists. "Well, you're mighty conceited, Peter! But I don't know as I
ever regretted it. I prefer having a family of my own to fussing with
other folks' children, that's the truth."

Before the Kronborgs reached Copper Hole, Thea's destiny was pretty well
mapped out for her. Mr. Kronborg was always delighted to have an excuse
for enlarging the house.

Mrs. Kronborg was quite right in her conjecture that there would be
unfriendly comment in Moonstone when Thea raised her prices for
music-lessons. People said she was getting too conceited for anything.
Mrs. Livery Johnson put on a new bonnet and paid up all her back calls
to have the pleasure of announcing in each parlor she entered that her
daughters, at least, would "never pay professional prices to Thea
Kronborg."

Thea raised no objection to quitting school. She was now in the "high
room," as it was called, in next to the highest class, and was studying
geometry and beginning Caesar. She no longer recited her lessons