itin'. Oh, she's a hard driver,
Mary-'Gusta is. Never had a fust mate aboard drove harder'n she does.
And it's havin' its effect on us, too. Look at Zoeth! He's agin' fast;
he's a year older'n he was twelve months ago."

Keith laughed, Mary smiled, and Mr. Hamilton, judging by the behavior of
the company that there was a joke somewhere on the premises, smiled too.

"You mustn't mind Uncle Shad, Mr. Keith," said Mary. "He talks a great
deal."

"Talkin's all the exercise my face gets nowadays," declared the Captain
instantly. "She keeps me so busy I don't get time to eat. What do you
think of the store, Mr. Keith? Some improvement, ain't it?"

Keith, who had already noticed the trim appearance of the store and the
neat and attractive way in which the goods were displayed, expressed his
hearty approval.

"And how is business?" he asked.

"Tiptop!" declared Shadrach.

"It's improvin' consider'ble," said Zoeth.

"It is a little better, but it must be far better before I am
satisfied," said Mary.

"How is the cottage trade?" asked Keith.

"Why, not so very good. There aren't many cottagers here yet."

When Keith reached home he called his wife into consultation.

"Gertrude," he asked, "where do we buy our household supplies, groceries
and the like?"

"In Boston, most of them. The others--those I am obliged to buy here in
South Harniss--at that new store, Baker's."

"I want you to buy them all of Hamilton and Company hereafter."

"THAT old-fogy place! Why?"

"Because the partners, Captain Gould and the other old chap, are having
a hard struggle to keep going and I want to help them."

Mrs. Keith tossed her head. "Humph!" she sniffed. "I know why you are
so interested. It is because of that upstart girl you think is so
wonderful, the one who has been boarding with Clara Wyeth."

"You're right, that's just it. She has given up her studies and her
opportunities there in Boston and has come down here to help her uncles.
Clara writes me that she was popular there in the school, that the
best people were her friends, and you know of her summer in Europe with
Letitia Pease. Letitia isn't easy to please and she is enthusiastic
about Mary Lathrop. No ordinary girl could give up all that sort of
thing and come back to the village where everyone knows her and go to
keeping store again, and do it so cheerfully and sensibly and without
a word of complaint. She deserves all the help and support we and our
friends can