that he woke me. Why, before I could catch him, he
flew out. Do you think it would have been wicked to have caught him,
Daddy?"

"Laws, no, Fanny. 'Tween you and me, the Honey would have ketched him
in a second. She was uncommon spry when she was a leetle gal."

"O, Daddy, may--"

"You musn't hinder me now; I must go fur tu milk the cows."

"O, well, you won't feed the chickens 'till I come, will you, Daddy?
I'll dress, O, ever so quick, and say a very little prayer, and come
right out. I want to feed the speckled hen and the little yellow
chicks; please Daddy don't forget me, will you?"

Recta looks very much disturbed as they pass on together. "That
bird," she mutters very mysteriously, "it's a very bad sign."

"What's a bad sign, Recta?"

"Why, don't you know, Phillip, when a bird comes into the house it's a
sure sign of death in the family? I have never known it to fail. There
was Squire Billings died in less than a year after a bird flew in at
the winder. Sally told me they was a watching for some one to die and
it turned out to be the Squire."

"'Tween you and me, Recta, that was singular; now I think on't I've
noticed lately that Fanny has looked ruther pimpin. We must not cross
her in nuthin. I shan't tech the chicken feed 'til she comes; 'tween
you and me, hadn't we better write to the Honey?"

"May be she don't believe in signs, some don't," said Recta,
reflectively.

"'Tween you and me, we might tell her about Squire Billings."

"That wouldn't make any difference, Phillip, you can't convince some
people. We may as well not write until Fanny is really taken sick. I
wonder if she had ever had the measles: Neighbor Wycoff is awful sick
with them."

"'Tween you and me, I guess we had better write," persists Daddy,
struck with a new terror.

There is a sudden hush, and Fanny trips in bright as a May morning.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

MORE NEWS FROM LITTLE WOLF--TOM TINKNOR'S TESTIMONY.

Here again is news from Little Wolf. The postmark is San Francisco; a
few hurried lines running thus:

"We arrived here last evening. Mr. Marsden has the Panama
fever. His sister and myself watch over him day and night.
His physician is hopeful, but says the disease is exceedingly
tedious. We shall probably be detained here for a long time.

Please write as soon as you receive this. I am anxious to
hear from Daddy and Fanny.

Your affectionate