bequeathed it. Not until lawyers' visits and
numerous official-looking papers had convinced the Daltons beyond the
smallest doubt did the family believe their good fortune genuine; then,
with the conviction, came all the overwhelming ambitions and
unsatisfied longings of past years.

"There, now we can leave the farm," exulted Mrs. Dalton.

"Why, Sarah, do--do you think that is quite--wise?" asked her husband.

"Wise? Of course it is!" she returned decidedly. "Why, Caleb, don't
you know?--we've always wanted to go to the city; and Cousin John said
he 'd give you a place in his store any time, so you'll earn something
to start with right away. We never dared to before, you know, for you
wa'n't sure how you'd do; but now we 've got all this money we shan't
have to worry a mite. Oh, isn't it just splendid, Caleb?"

"Yes; but--" he hesitated.

"Why, Caleb, I don't believe you appreciate it a bit!"

"Oh, I do, indeed I do, Sarah, but--" again he hesitated.

"But there is n't any 'but,' Caleb," laughed Sarah, and turned to a boy
of twelve and a girl of fourteen who entered the room at that moment.
"We've got it all settled, children. We 're going to Boston, sure,
this fall."

"Oh, mother!"--Ethel's hands came together in ecstasy, while Fred
whooped in glee.

"There's the lovely big stores and the people," cried Ethel.

"And the cars and Bunker Hill Monument," supplemented Fred.

"And we won't ever have to come back to this snippy little town,"
continued Ethel.

"My, won't Bill Higgins just stare!" interposed Fred. "Oh, I say, sis,
we might come back just once, you know, just to tell them about things."

"Yes, that's so," agreed Ethel readily; "and--say, let's tell them now
that we're going. Come on!" she finished over her shoulder as she flew
through the door.

"There, Caleb, I told you how it would be," smiled Mrs. Dalton as the
door banged behind Fred; then, anxiously: "You would n't want to spoil
it all, now, would you?"

"N-no; but--no, no, of course not," murmured Caleb, rising to his feet
and crossing to the outside door with heavy, slow-moving steps.

This was in August. By the middle of September such household goods as
the Daltons had planned to take with them were packed, burlapped,
crated, and labeled. It had been Mrs. Dalton's idea to sell the rest
of the furniture and the farm at auction, but just here she encountered
an unexpected but stubborn resistance from her husband. Consequent