r's, and he
asked me when we were going to break up housekeeping here."

"What did you say?" cried Faith, as the meaning of his question dawned
upon her, though Peace evidently had not understood.

"I didn't know what he was driving at, so I asked him, and he said he
had heard that we were going to leave this house and go to live with
different people in town. He wanted to know if he could have Cherry,
'cause he thinks she is so pretty. I told him he needn't joke with me
like that, but he just laughed and _in_sured me that Mr. Strong was
going to take Allee, and Dr. Bainbridge wanted Hope, and that you and
Gail were to work in Martindale, and I was the broom of condemnation."

"The what?" cried Faith in amazement.

"The broom of con-dem-nation," repeated Peace slowly, seeing that she
had made a blunder, but not understanding just wherein it lay. "It means
when a lot of people want the same thing."

"Perhaps you are trying to say 'bone of contention,'" suggested Faith,
somewhat sarcastically.

"Maybe 'twas. Anyway, he says Mr. Hardman wants me--but I don't want
him, I can tell you that!"

"I thought you had signed a treaty of peace and were friends now,"
murmured the older girl, considerably amused at the child's belligerent
attitude, in spite of her troubled thoughts.

"Oh, we are friends all right, but not bad enough so's I want to go live
with him. Though I don't know as it would be any worse there than with
Judge Abbott, and he's the other fellow who wants me. My, the way he
glared at me Thanksgiving morning, when we shoveled the snow off his
porch, scared me stiff! I thought he was going to make us shovel it back
on again, but he didn't. And the time my snowball knocked Hector's teeth
loose, I was sure he was going to 'rest me, but I couldn't help if Hec
opened his mouth just in time to get that ball; and anyway, he deserved
it, 'cause he was pulling Mamie Brady's red hair and calling her Carrots
till she cried. I told the Judge that Hec needed to have more than just
his teeth knocked loose, and he laughed and marched him home by the
ear."

"Peace, have you told Gail this?"

"About Hec's teeth?"

"No, about what Mr. Jones said to you?"

"Not yet. I didn't think it was a very nice joke, so I never told anyone
but you and the preacher. Mr. Strong said he'd see that the butcher
didn't tease me any more."

"Well, if I were you, I would forget all about it, but don't ever tell
Gail. She might take it in