sharp tongue, she
means well. Be patient, by-and-by thou wilt have a nice property, the
country will have more people for hire, and thou wilt not have so hard
to work."

When I told him that I did not want the property, and that there were
other things I did care for, he continued persuasively:

"Women need not so much learning from books. Grandma would not know how
to scold so grandly if she remembered not so many fine words from
'Wilhelm Tell' and the other books that she knoweth by heart." And he
climbed back and drove off, believing that he had done me a good turn.

To my great satisfaction, Georgia arrived about dark, saying that
Benjamin had brought her and would call for us later to spend the
evening with them. When we reached the hotel, Elitha received us
affectionately, and did not refer to the disappointments of the
afternoon. The time was given up to talk about plans for our future,
and that night when we two crept into bed, I felt that I had been eased
of a heavy burden, for Benjamin was willing to await grandma's return.

He also told us that early next morning he would go to Santa Rosa, the
county seat, and apply to be made our guardian in place of Hiram
Miller, and would also satisfy any claim grandma might have to us, or
against us, adding that we need not take anything away with us, except
our keepsakes.

CHAPTER XXXII

GRANDMA'S RETURN--GOOD-BYE TO THE DUMB CREATURES--GEORGIA AND I ARE OFF
FOR SACRAMENTO.

Meanwhile, grandma and her friends had reached Bodego and spent the
night there. She had not learned anything more terrible that I had said
about her, and at breakfast told Mrs. Stein that she had had a dream
foreboding trouble, and would not continue the journey to the Stein
home. The widow coaxed and insisted that she go the few remaining miles
to see her children. Then she waxed indignant and let slip the fact
that she considered it an outrage that American, instead of European
born children should inherit the Brunner property, and that she had
hoped that grandma would select two of her daughters to fill the places
from which Georgia and I should be expelled.

Grandma took a different view of the matter, and started homeward
immediately after breakfast.

That very afternoon, on the Santa Rosa road, whom should she pass but
our brother Ben. They recognized each other, but were too astonished to
speak. Grandma ordered her driver to whip up, saying that she had just
seen the red-w