but her
face showed only a frank pleasure.

"To-day? Good. Won't your mother be glad?"

"Yes. And some other people, too," said Barney.

"And who, particularly?"

A sudden shyness seemed to seize the young man, but recovering himself,
"Well, I guess I will, myself, a little. This is the first time he has
ever been away. We never slept a night apart from each other as long
as I can mind till he went to college last year. He used to put his
arm just round me here," touching his breast. "I'll tell you the first
nights after he went I used to feel for him in the dark and be sick to
find the place empty."

"Well," said the girl doubtfully, "I hope he won't be different. College
does make a difference, you know."

"Different! Dick! He'd better not. I'll thrash the daylights out of him.
But he won't be different. Not to us, nor," he added shyly, "to you."

"Oh, to me?" She laughed lightly. "He had better not try any airs with
me."

"What would you do?" inquired Barney. "You couldn't take it out of his
hide."

"Oh, I'd fix him. I'd take him down," she replied with a knowing shake
of her head.

"Poor Dick! He's in for a hard time," replied Barney. "But nothing can
change Dick. And I am awful glad he's coming to-day, in time for the
raising, too."

"The raising? Oh, yes. The McLeods'. Yes, I remember. And," regretfully,
"a big supper and a big spree afterwards in the new barn."

"Are not you going?" inquired Barney.

"I don't know. They want me to go to help, but I don't think I'll go. I
don't think father would like me to go, and,"--a pause--"anyway, I don't
think I can get away."

"Oh, pshaw! Get Old Nancy in. She can take care of the children for
once. You would like the raising. It's great fun."

"Oh! wouldn't I, though? It's fine to see them racing. They get so wild
and yell so."

"Well, come on then. You must come. They'll all be disappointed, if you
don't. And Dick is coming that way, too. Alec Murray is to bring him on
his way home from town." Again Barney glanced keenly at her face, but he
saw only puzzled uncertainty there.

"Well, I don't know. We'll see. At any rate, I must go now."

"Wait," cried Barney, "I'll go with you. We're having dinner early
to-day." He hung up the scythe in the thorn tree and threw the stone at
the foot.

"I wish you would promise to come," he said earnestly.

"Do you, really?" The blue eyes turned full upon him.

"Of course I do. It will be lots better fun if you