----"

"Chicken Little Jane, you didn't go tell all that to Mrs. Gassett!"
Ernest interrupted with the horrified surprise of one who is far removed
from such childish blunders.

Chicken Little looked from Ernest to her father piteously.

"You didn't say I wasn't to tell, Papa."

"No dear, I knew with six children in possession of a secret, it was no
use trying to keep it. There is no harm done, Chicken Little. What did
Mrs. Gassett say?"

"She just said 'Humph' real mad and she turned her old fat back and
waddled off to the house. My, I'm glad I am not fat like her."

"Didn't say thank you for finding her silver, eh?" asked Dr. Morton.

"Catch Sister Gassett saying thank you," put in Frank Morton. "They say
she's a worse old skinflint than her husband. I've been told the Gassett
girls don't get enough to eat let alone decent clothes."

"Come Frank," said his mother reprovingly. "You forget that the Gassetts
are members of our church."

"Didn't I say Sister Gassett, Mother?" asked Frank with a twinkle in his
eye.

Mrs. Morton was not blessed with a keen sense of humor and she reproved
once more.

"Yes, but it isn't quite fitting for you to call an older person Sister,
especially when you are not a church member yourself."

Frank subsided with a shy glance at his father.

Ernest seized the opportunity to impart his budget, though with a mouth
rather too full of beefsteak and potatoes to make his words
intelligible.

"Carol says--(swallow)--that old Gassett tackled him--(swallow)----"

"Ernest!"

Dr. and Mrs. Morton started in together, but Mrs. Morton finished.

"Don't try to talk with your mouth full."

Ernest hurriedly disposed of his food and resumed.

"Carol says old Gassett tackled him about those stock certificates and
he just told him we didn't find any papers with his name on. If we had,
we'd have returned them along with the silver."

"That was a mighty smart-Alecky speech," said his father. "Carol should
learn to be more respectful to his elders."

"I don't see what this younger generation is coming to," said Mrs.
Morton plaintively. "I can't see where children learn such bad manners."

"Probably corrupted by their elder brothers, Mother dear," retorted
Frank. "But, changing the subject, I am curious to see what Gassett will
do."

"Yes, I am curious about his first move myself. Perhaps, he'll come up
here and demand the papers of Mother or maybe he'll send a lawyer."

"Well, for my