ing to borrow some in Martindale, but they wouldn't believe we
needed it. I know we do, 'cause Gail said so the night I hid in the
closet when she didn't know I was there."

She paused for breath, and Mr. Strong said cheerily, "Yes, dear, I know
all about it. Gail told me, but I think maybe everything is coming out
all right in the end. Don't you fret! But if I were you, I wouldn't try
any more to borrow the money--"

"How are we to get it, then? Gail doesn't know of anybody."

"Gail was meant for a little mother instead of a business woman. Now
that she has asked some of us older folks for advice, I think we can
manage matters beautifully. Gail is just a girl herself, you know. She
understands the situation a little better now, but the burden is too
heavy for her young shoulders. We must make it lighter, lots lighter.
She wants to go to college, and Faith wants music lessons, and Hope
ought to study drawing, and what would you like to study?"

"Pigs! I want a pig farm," was the unexpected answer. "Ain't baby pigs
the dearest things you ever saw?"

His shout of derision stopped her, and she sat twisting her brown hands
in hurt and embarrassed silence.

Her mournful attitude brought the young preacher to his senses, and he
pinched her cheek playfully, saying, "Oh, what a doleful face! See if we
can't make it smile a little. No? Why, Peace, this is the way it looks.
Supposing it should freeze that way." He drew his face down into a
comically mournful grimace, and Peace laughed outright. "I heard that
you won the prize at Annette's party for making the worst looking face,"
he continued, "but I didn't suppose it was as bad as that."

"That isn't half bad," cried Peace scornfully. "Why, I can make the
ugliest faces you ever saw."

"Bet you can't!"

"Bet I can!"

"Try it!"

Peace promptly bulged out her eyes, turned up her nose, and drew down
her mouth in a hideous grimace, following it up with other horrible
distortions; and then exclaimed, "How do you like that?"

"I can do as well myself," said the preacher.

"I don't b'lieve it! Let's see you do it!"

Mr. Strong laid aside his hat, rumpled up his shining black hair, and
went through some fearful contortions of face, which almost paralyzed
Peace for the moment. Then she screamed her delight, hopping about on
one foot, and shouting boisterously, "You win, you win, Mr. Strong! If I
can ever make faces like those, I shall be perfectly happy. Do you
s'pose I