when spring
comes."

Gail was perplexed. How could she refuse the children's eager eyes? Yet
clearly they could not keep the little animals. There were scarcely
enough vegetables in the cellar to last the family until the winter
months were over, let alone feeding a pair of hungry rabbits.

While she hesitated, Hope entered the room, and with a cry of rapture,
she snatched up one pink-nosed bunny and hid her face in its fur,
exclaiming, "Oh, you darlings! Are they yours, Peace? We will fix up
that old, big box in Black Prince's stall and they will be as cosy as
babies. What shall you call them?"

"Winkum and Blinkum," was the prompt answer. "Their noses are never
still. Shall we fix up the box right now?" The four younger sisters
gathered up the rabbits and departed for the barn. The question was
settled to their satisfaction, at least.

In the meantime, at the Hartman house the gentle little wife was busily
plucking the mammoth gobbler, while Mr. Hartman stood idly by the
kitchen window, gazing out into the winter sunshine. But his thoughts
were not idle, and when at length the great bird was stripped clean, he
turned to the woman and said, "What are we going to do with the thing?
If they had just killed it before we dressed one for ourselves--"

"Better take it over to them. It's too late to dispose of it to the
butcher, and I am afraid they will have a pretty slim dinner. Mrs.
Grinnell thinks they are badly pinched for money."

"Sho, now, Myra Ann! It's just because they don't know how to manage.
They've got one of the best farms in this part of the country."

"It's mortgaged, and you have the mortgage."

"Yes, but with proper handling they ought to clear that off easily."

"They had to sell Black Prince--"

"And got a fancy price for him, too. That alone would pretty nearly have
paid the mortgage. If they are hard up, it's their own fault."

"Mrs. Grinnell is in position to know if anyone does. The mother's
sickness must have been terribly costly, and now they are orphans. They
are in a bad way, I feel sure, and this turkey would come in mighty
handy."

He offered no further arguments, but a few moments later, when Gail
answered a knock at the kitchen door, she found their neighbor standing
there with the turkey in his arms. Almost too surprised to understand,
she accepted his offering, and he was gone before she could stammer out
her thanks.

Then how they bustled in the little brown house, preparin