d a very grand family. Naturally, they felt a sense of elation,
although Mrs. Kelso, being a woman of shrewdness, was not carried away.
Mr. Kelso had gone to Offut's store and the three had the cabin to
themselves.

"I think he's just a wonderful man!" Bim exclaimed. "But I'm sorry his
name is so much like figs and pigs. I'm plum sure I'm going to love him."

"I thought you were in love with Harry Needles," Bim's mother said to
her.

"I am. But he keeps me so busy. I have to dress him up every day and put
a mustache on him and think up ever so many nice things for him to say,
and when he comes he doesn't say them. He's terribly young."

"The same age as you. I think he is a splendid boy--so does everybody."

"I have to make all his courage for him, and then he never will use it,"
Bim went on. "He has never said whether he likes my looks or not."

"But there's time enough for that--you are only a child," said her
mother. "You told me that he said once you were beautiful."

"But he has never said it twice, and when he did say it, I didn't believe
my ears, he spoke so low. Acted kind o' like he was scared of it. I don't
want to wait forever to be really and truly loved, do I?"

Mrs. Kelso laughed. "It's funny to hear a baby talking like that," she
said. "We don't know this young man. He's probably only fooling anyway."

Bim rose and stood very erect.

"Mother, do you think I look like a baby?" she asked. "I tell you I'm
every inch a woman," she added, mimicking her father in the speech of
Lear.

"But there are not many inches in you yet."

"How discouraging you are!" said Bim, sinking into her chair with a sigh.

Bim went often to the little tavern after that. Of those meetings little
is known, save that, with all the pretty arts of the cavalier, unknown to
Harry Needles, the handsome youth flattered and delighted the girl. This
went on day by day for a fortnight. The evening before Biggs was to leave
for his home, Bim went over to eat supper with Ann at the tavern.

It happened that Jack Kelso had found Abe sitting alone with his
Blackstone in Offut's store that afternoon.

"Mr. Kelso, did you ever hear what Eb Zane said about the general subject
of sons-in-law?" Abe asked.

"Never--but I reckon it would be wise and possibly apropos," said Kelso.

"He said that a son-in-law was a curious kind o' property," Abe began.
"'Ye know,' says Eb, 'if ye have a hoss that's tricky an' dangerous an'
wuth less than