e you daring to hint that I--I--care in the least for
that--him? How dare you insinuate such a thing to me? I--I despise him!"

"Yes, yes," hastily. "Course you do, course you do. Well, we won't worry
about that, any of it. Mr. Daniels says there's nothin' to worry about
anyhow, and I'll tell him he can do what he thinks ought to be done when
it's necessary. Now let's finish up that packin' of yours, dearie."

Thankful did not trust herself to accompany her cousin to Wellmouth
Centre. She was finding it hard enough to face the coming separation
with outward cheerfulness, and the long ride to the railway station
she found to be too great a strain. So she made the lameness of George
Washington's off fore leg an excuse for keeping that personage in the
stable, and it was in Winnie S.'s depot-wagon that Emily journeyed to
the Centre.

They said good-by at the front gate. Emily, too, was trying to appear
cheerful, and the parting was hurried.

"Good-by, Auntie," she said. "Take care of yourself. Write often and I
will answer, I promise you. I know you'll be lonely after I've gone,
but I have a plan--a secret. If I can carry it through you won't be SO
lonely, I'm pretty sure. And don't worry, will you? The mortgage is all
right and as for the other thing--well, that will be all right, too. You
won't worry, will you?"

"No, no; I'll be too busy to worry. And you'll come down for the
Christmas vacation? You will, won't you?"

"I'll try . . . I mean I will if I can arrange it. Good-by, dear."

The depot-wagon rattled out of the yard. Winnie S. pulled up at the gate
to shout a bit of news.

"Say, Mrs. Barnes," he yelled, "we got one of your boarders over to our
place now. John Kendrick's come there to live. Lots of folks are down
on him 'count of his heavin' you over and takin' up along with Mr.
Holliday; but Dad says he don't care about that so long's he pays his
board reg'lar. Git dap, Old Hundred!"

A last wave of Thankful's hand, the answering wave of a handkerchief
from the rear seat of the depot-wagon, and the parting was over.
Thankful went into the house. Lonely! She had never been more lonely
in her life, except when the news of her husband's death was brought
to her. The pang of loneliness which followed her brother Jedediah's
departure for the Klondike was as nothing to this. She had promised not
to worry, and she must keep that promise, but there was certainly plenty
to cause worry. The mortgage which Emily