y
again. So Hiram Allen became my big brother, and the Allen home was mine
for ten long years. Then an uncle of mine whom everyone had thought was
dead put in appearance and took me to sea on a long voyage which covered
the greater part of four years. When I returned, Mother and Father Allen
were dead and the younger fry had gone West,--no one seemed to know
where. Then and there I completely lost sight of them, and it was only
by chance that I--"

"Grandpa's name wasn't Hi Allen," mused Faith aloud, with a puzzled look
in her eyes. "It was Greenfield, just like ours."

"Yes; that is one reason, I suppose, why I never found my big brother of
my boyhood days. You see, he had a stepfather. His own parent was
drowned at sea when he was a tiny baby, and his mother married again; so
he was known all over the place as Hi Allen instead of Hi Greenfield,
which was his real name. When he grew to manhood and entered the
ministry he decided to take his own name. But, though I dimly remembered
having heard people say that Mr. Allen wasn't Hi's own father, I never
heard his real name spoken, to my knowledge, and I never once thought
of the possibility of his assuming it in place of his stepfather's.

"When I discovered your grandfather's identity only a few days ago, the
way seemed suddenly open to me. Hi Allen had shared his home with me
when I was an orphan; I would share my home with his little
granddaughters, alone in the world and in trouble,--for by this time I
had heard about the mortgage and the battle being fought in the little
brown house to keep the family together. Mothering this big brood is too
great a task for Gail. She needs mothering herself. We want to adopt
you, mother and I. Will you let us; for the sake of the dear grandfather
who did so much for me?"

His face was so full of yearning tenderness that tears came to the eyes
of the older members of the queer little party, and even the children
had to swallow hard.

"I have talked the matter over with Gail, and she agrees if the rest of
you will consent. I am not a millionaire, but we are pretty well fixed
in a material way and can give you a great many pleasures and advantages
that the little town of Parker can never offer. There are fine schools
in the city, and college for Gail. We have a piano and violin and all
sorts of music, a horse and buggy, a big barn, and a splendid yard in a
nice locality, with plenty of room for tennis or any other kind of
gymnas