than yourself into doing things which might better be left for days
which were meant for such things."

She swished upstairs before Caleb had a chance to answer. But minutes
after she had gone Steve looked up from a line he was spooling.

"She ain't particularly pleased, I take it," he remarked.

"Not particularly," Caleb chuckled. "It's funny, too, because I do
most of this sort of work on Sunday. You'd think she'd become resigned
to it, but she doesn't."

The boy thought deeply for a while.

"Didn't--didn't the 'Postles cast their nets on Sunday?" he asked
presently.

Up shot Caleb's head.

"Huh-h-h?" he gasped.

"I sed--didn't the 'Postles cast their nets on Sunday?" Steve repeated.
"Seems to me they did, but I can't just rec'lict now what chapter it
was in."

Caleb pulled his face into a semblance of sobriety.

"Seems to me they did," he agreed, a little weakly, "now that you
mention it. I don't just recollect where it occurred, either, at the
moment, but we'll have to look it up, because, as a case of precedent,
it'll be a clincher for Sarah."

He chuckled for a full hour over the thought before he forgot it. The
boy, however, upon whom Sarah's disapproval had made a more lasting
impression, recalled it to him later.

Allison joined them Monday morning at daybreak. All day they drove
through the seeping rain--drove north in Caleb's buckboard, to turn off
finally upon a woods trail that ran into the cast, along the lesser
branch of the river. During the ride Steve's bearing toward the third
member of the party was too plain to escape notice, for he never looked
at nor directed a word to Allison unless it was in reply to a direct
question, and then his answers were almost monosyllabic. But Allison,
who, as usual, gave his undivided attention to the country through
which they were passing, in attitude toward the boy was even more
remarkable.

Once when they had halted at noon he pointed out a hillside of pine,
black beneath the rain, close-clustered and of mastlike straightness.

"There's a wonderful stand of pine, Cal," he remarked. "I'd venture to
say that it would cut at least two million feet."

Instantly, although the remark was addressed to him, Caleb knew that it
was Stephen's comment for which Allison was angling. And hard upon his
casual statement the boy's head came sharply around.

"She'll run nigh double that," he swallowed the bait. "She'll run
double--and mebby a trifle mo