d bought potatoes while they
were cheap. These deliveries were soon made and Cousin Charley had money
to distribute. "Al-f-u-r-d" and Lin both came in for a nice piece of it.
As Lin remarked:

"Cousin Charley was not close when he was doin' well."

[Illustration: The Boys Had a Full Load]

The women invited Charley to remain all night but, showing the old exile
spirit, he declined, adding:

"I like you and Lin, but I'll never stay under Uncle John's roof until
he apologizes fer what he done to me. I'll dig fer myself. There's money
in this potato business fer me, I'll show them who I am."

The boy jingled the big coppers and little dimes in his pocket until
"Al-f-u-r-d's" eyes sparkled with admiration.

The next morning Captain Abrams clanged the big, old fashioned iron
knocker on the front door. The father started up stairs to answer the
knock, and "Al-f-u-r-d" and the other children whooped up the path
beside the house to peep at the early caller.

The door opened. "Howdys" and hand shakes. The Captain, puckering up his
funny little mouth, not unlike that of a sucker fish, addressing himself
to the father, inquired:

"John, where's Bill's Charley?"

The "I don't know" answer surprised the Captain.

Looking at "Al-f-u-r-d" in a quizzical manner, he said:

"I thought he was staying with you all."

The father replied spiritedly, and he seemed to be addressing himself to
"Al-f-u-r-d" as much as to the Captain:

"No, he ain't here any more. I wouldn't permit him to enter my house;
he's so infernal ornery that his father had to drive him out. Bill jes'
told him to go out and dig fer himself. We've washed our hands of that
boy. His end will be the House of Refuge."

"But John," and the Captain looked serious, "who sent Alfred and Charley
out on a foraging expedition last night with your old mare and wagon?"

Both men looked hard at "Al-f-u-r-d."

With a consciousness born of innocence, "Al-f-u-r-d" pulled himself up
to his full height, running his thumbs under his first pair of elastic
suspenders, a present from Cousin Charley, who had remarked as he
adjusted them: "None of my relations will run around here with one
gallus when I've got money."

"Yes, sir," chirped "Al-f-u-r-d," "we was out to your house but you
weren't at home. Cousin Charley went after his pertaters. He wanted to
bring mother hers and Jane McCune and Tommy Ryan."

The Captain was nodding his head approvingly at "Al-f-u-r-d,"
encourag