me on, shell out! Let's all go celebrate. What
did you bring the children?"

Kate was rapidly losing patience in spite of her resolves.

"Myself," she said. "From their appearance and actions, goodness knows
they needed me. I have been to my father's funeral, George; not to a
circus."

"Humph!" said George. "And home for the first time in seven years.
You needn't tell me it wasn't the biggest picnic you ever had! And
say, about those deeds burning up--wasn't that too grand?"

"Even if my father burned with them?" she asked. "George, you make me
completely disgusted."

"Big hypocrite!" he scoffed. "You know you're tickled silly. Why, you
will get ten times as much as you would if those deeds hadn't burned.
I know what that estate amounts to. I know what that land is worth.
I'll see that you get your share to the last penny that can be wrung
out of it. You bet I will! Things are coming our way at last. Now we
can build the mill, and do everything we planned. I don't know as we
will build a mill. With your fifteen thousand we could start a store in
Hartley, and do bigger things."

"The thing for you to do right now is to hitch up and take Aunt Ollie
and your mother home," said Kate. "I'll talk to you after supper and
tell you all there is to know. I'm dusty and tired now."

"Well, you needn't try to fix up any shenanigan for me," he said. "I
know to within five hundred dollars of what your share of that estate
is worth, and I'll see that you get it."

"No one has even remotely suggested that I shouldn't have my share of
that estate," said Kate.

While he was gone, Kate thought intently as she went about her work.
She saw exactly what her position was, and what she had to do. Their
talk would be disagreeable, but the matter had to gone into and gotten
over. She let George talk as he would while she finished supper and
they ate. When he went for his evening work, she helped the children
scale their fish for breakfast and as they worked she talked to them,
sanely, sensibly, explaining what she could, avoiding what she could
not. She put them to bed, her heart almost sickened at what they had
been taught and told. Kate was in no very propitious mood for her
interview with George. As she sat on the front porch waiting for him,
she was wishing with all her heart that she was back home with the
children, to remain forever. That, of course, was out of the question,
but she wished it. She had been