not expect him to punish her in that manner, for
ordinarily he was not a hard-hearted man; but in view of Peace's
misdemeanor, Gail's hesitation angered him only the more, and catching
the child by her shoulder, he gave her a dozen sharp, stinging lashes
with his switch, then released her, thoroughly ashamed of himself.

He expected her to cry and scream, but she bit her lips, blinked her
brown eyes rapidly to keep the tears back, and stood like a statue until
he dropped his stick. Then choking back the sobs in her throat, she
faced him with the curt demand, "Give me a receipt, please."

"A--a what?"

"A receipt. Gail says we should never settle a bill without getting a
receipt."

"What do you want of a receipt?"

"So's I can show Gail that this bill is settled."

"Aha!" he mocked. "You are afraid Gail will repent and give you another
thrashing, are you?"

"No, I'm not! But I want to be sure you don't try to c'llect twice."

He stared at her open-mouthed, too hurt for words; and she, unaware that
she had deeply offended him, urged impatiently, as she rubbed her
smarting shoulders, "Hurry up! Write it on a piece of paper, so's I can
have it to keep always. Haven't you got any in your pocket?"

Mechanically he searched his pockets, drew forth a scrap of an envelope,
wrote the receipt she demanded, and handed it to her gravely. She
accepted it as gravely, spelled it through, and turned to go, saying
piously, "Thank you, Mr. Hardman. I hope you will get your reward in
heaven." She meant this in all reverence, thinking only of the receipt
he had given her, but he thought she was sarcastically referring to the
whipping she had suffered at his hands; and with a queer tightening of
his throat, he returned to his work, while she hurried homeward with her
precious bit of paper.

"Here is Mr. Hardman's receipt, Gail," she announced, briefly, entering
the kitchen where the two older girls were still discussing the new
problem.

"Where did you get the money!" asked Faith severely.

"I took the licking," was the short answer.

"Took the licking! From whom!"

"Mr. Hardman."

"Do you mean to say that Mr. Hardman whipped you!"

"Yes, I do. I went over and told him to."

"Did it hurt?" whispered Allee, with eyes brimming full of sympathy.

"It might have been worse, s'posing he had used a piece of iron instead
of a stick."

Profound silence reigned in the little room. Then Gail said abruptly,
"Come upstairs with