arriving
every moment, and Mrs. Kinzer had all she could do to keep them from
"rescuing" every atom of her furniture from the house and piling it up
in the road.

"Wait," she said, quietly. "If Ham and Dab save the long barn, the fire
wont spread any further. The old barn wont be any loss to speak of,
anyhow."

Fiercely as the dry old barn burned, it used itself up all the quicker
on that account, and it was less than thirty minutes from the time Ham
and Dabney got at work before roof and rafters fell in and the worst of
the danger was over. The men and boys from the village were eager enough
to do any thing that now remained to be done, but a large share of this
was confined to standing around and watching the "bonfire" burn down to
a harmless heap of badly smelling ashes. As soon, however, as they were
no more wanted on the roof, the two volunteer "firemen" came down, and
Ham Morris's first word on reaching the ground was:

"Dab, my boy, how you've grown!"

Not a tenth of an inch, in mere stature, and yet Ham was correct about
it. There was plenty of light, just then, moon or no moon, and Ham's
eyes were very busy for a minute. He noted the improvements in the
fences, sheds, barns, the blinds on the house, the paint, a host of
small things that had changed for the better, and then he simply said:
"Come on, Dab," and led the way into the house. Her mother and sisters
had already given Miranda a hurried look at what they had done, but Ham
was not the man to do anything in haste. Deliberately and silently he
walked from room to room and from cellar to garret, hardly seeming to
hear the frequent comments of his enthusiastic young wife. That he did
hear, however, was manifest, for at last he asked:

"Dab, I've seen all the other rooms, where's yours?"

"I'm going to let you and Miranda have my room," said Dab. "I don't
think I shall board here long."

"I don't think you will, either," said Ham, emphatically. "You're going
away to boarding-school. Miranda, is there any reason why Dabney can't
have the south-west room, upstairs, with the bay-window?"

That room had been Samantha's choice, and she looked at Dab
reproachfully, but Miranda replied:

"No, indeed; not if you wish him to have it."

"Now, Ham," said Dabney, "I'm not big enough to fit that room. Give me
one nearer my size. That's a little loose for even Sam, and she can't
take any tucks in it!"

Samantha's look changed to one of gratitude, and she did