irely by his own and that in
one or two instances he had been obliged practically to underwrite the
payment of Hamilton and Company's indebtedness before gaining consent.
He had talked with Mr. Howe, who in turn had called his daughter into
consultation, and Barbara's enthusiastic praise of her friend had
strengthened the favorable impression which the girl had already made
upon both gentlemen. "Do you know, I believe she may win out," observed
Mr. Howe.

"I am inclined to think she will," concurred Green.

"Of course she will!" declared Barbara hotly. "No one who ever knew her
would be silly enough to think she wouldn't."

Hence Mr. Green's underwriting expedition and the proposition to Mary as
the representative of Hamilton and Company.

Mary accepted, of course. She was very grateful and said so.

"I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Green. I can't promise anything, but
if trying hard will win, I can promise that," she said.

"That's all right, that's all right. I know you'll try, and I think
you'll succeed. Now, why don't you go up and pick out some of those
summer goods? You don't need them yet, and you needn't pay for them yet,
but now is the time to select. Give my regards to your uncles when you
see them and tell them I wish them luck. I may be motoring down the Cape
this summer and if I do I shall drop in on you and them."

Mary had news to tell when she reached South Harniss. It was listened
to with attention, if not entirely in silence. Captain Shadrach's
ejaculations of "You don't say!" "I want to know!" and "Jumpin' fire,
how you talk!" served as punctuation marks during the narration. When
she had finished her story, she said:

"And now, Uncle Zoeth and Uncle Shad--now that you've heard the whole of
it, and know what my plan is, what do you think of it?"

Both answers were characteristic. Zoeth drew a long breath.

"The Almighty sent you to us, Mary-'Gusta," he vowed. "There was a time
a little spell ago when I begun to think He'd pretty nigh deserted us. I
was almost discouraged and it shook my trust--it shook my trust. But now
I can see He was just tryin' us out and in His good time He sent you to
haul us off the shoals. He'll do it, too; I know it and I'll thank Him
tonight on my knees."

Shadrach shook his head. "By fire!" he cried. "Mary-'Gusta, I always
said you was a wonder. You've given us a chance to get clear of the
breakers, anyhow, and that's somethin' we'd never have done ourselves.