there'll be something of a demonstration, Nate," said the
manager. "I had West 'phone the verdict to Littleton, and tell the boys
to lay off the rest of the day. They'll be crazy, I presume! I know you
don't care for such things, but you'll have to put up with being a hero
just this once."

"Hope they won't do nothin' rash 'round them railroad tracks," said
Nate, a bit anxiously. "The boys sometimes forgits theirselves when they
gets to celebratin'. They don't mean nothin', but they forgits. Who'd
you leave the babbies with, Lucy?"

"They're all going to be in school till three, for the teacher said
Rufie might bring even the little baby to the kindergarten. Then Marry's
out of the office, and she'll keep 'em till we get there at half-past
four. She won't let nothing happen."

"Well, I'd 'a' been satisfied just to go home and set down and eat my
supper, but never mind," sighed Nate in wistful fashion. "Folks is
cur'ous about such things. Just because a man don't git sent up for what
he didn't do can't make a hero outen him, as I see. But it's nice of you
all to care." He looked at Joyce, sitting opposite with Dalton, he and
Lucy having been given the back seat together, and a smile played about
his lips and eyes, crinkling the kindly muscles into radiating lines of
sunshine. "I've had lots o' thoughts, Miss Lav'lotte, since I've been
shut up, and I guess I've worked out something. It's a master place for
workin' out things in your mind--a jail is."

"Is it, Nate? And what have you worked out, now?"

"Well, just this. First, it did seem queer that a handsome young lady
just livin' on in our town, and no blood relation to nobody, should take
such an int'rust in Lucy and me, to say nothin' of other folks. Ev'ry
time 't you'd come, or send other folks to me, I kept askin' inside o'
me, 'Now, what does that mean? What is it to her, anyhow?' Then, kinder
sudden like, it come to me once that ev'ry single one o' the good things
what's been the makin' o' Littleton begun to come along just about when
you fetched up there. And when I'd figured on that a while, and
remembered how you and the boss here was allays consultin' together, and
how you seemed to feel jest 's if you'd got stock in us, somehow, it
come to me all of a heap."

"What came to you?" asked Joyce, her brilliant eyes flashing a laughing
glance towards her seat-mate.

"Why, that they mightn't be any young Early after all, and that 'twas
jest possible--mind,