never
noticed him sufferin' very much, not at the beginnin,' anyhow--acts
more as he was havin' a good time--but she seems to. I don't wonder you
smile," she added. "'Tis funny, in a way, and it's queer that such a
practical, common-sense woman as Rachel Ellis is, should have such a
notion. It's hard on us, though. Don't say anything to her about it, and
don't laugh at her, whatever you do."

Albert wanted to laugh very much. "But, Mrs. Snow--" he began.

"Mercy sakes alive! You ain't goin' to call me 'Mrs. Snow,' I hope."

"No, of course not. But, Grandmother why do you and Captain--you and
Grandfather keep her and Keeler if they are so much trouble? Why don't
you let them go and get someone else?"

"Let 'em go? Get someone else! Why, we COULDN'T get anybody else, anyone
who would be like them. They're almost a part of our family; that is,
Rachel is, she's been here since goodness knows when. And, when he's
sober Laban almost runs the lumber business. Besides, they're nice
folks--almost always."

Plainly the ways of South Harniss were not the ways of the world he had
known. Certainly these people were "Rubes" and queer Rubes, too. Then he
remembered that two of them were his grandparents and that his immediate
future was, so to speak, in their hands. The thought was not entirely
comforting or delightful. He was still pondering upon it when his
grandfather came in from the barn.

The captain said good morning in the same way he had said good night,
that is, he and Albert shook hands and the boy was again conscious of
the gaze which took him in from head to foot and of the quiet twinkle in
the gray eyes.

"Sleep well, son?" inquired Captain Zelotes.

"Yes . . . Yes, sir."

"That's good. I judged you was makin' a pretty good try at it when I
thumped on your door this mornin'. Somethin' new for you to be turned
out at seven, eh?"

"No, sir."

"Eh? It wasn't?"

"No, sir. The rising bell rang at seven up at school. We were supposed
to be down at breakfast at a quarter past."

"Humph! You were, eh? Supposed to be? Does that mean that you were
there?"

"Yes, sir."

There was a surprised look in the gray eyes now, a fact which Albert
noticed with inward delight. He had taken one "rise" out of his
grandfather, at any rate. He waited, hoping for another opportunity, but
it did not come. Instead they sat down to breakfast.

Breakfast, in spite of the morning sunshine at the windows, was somewhat
gloomy. The