coward, anyhow. She
stood up to me like a wildcat. Said she hated me. Said she wouldn't
take Peter if I paid her to--or words to that effect. Well, I didn't
exactly offer to pay her for doing that, rather the other way around.
But when she had the gorgeous cheek to up and say, after all, that she
_liked_ me for defending you, why, I--well, I don't know how it was,
but all of a sudden I weakened to her. She _got_ me same way as she
got you, Peter, I suppose. Maybe it was with one of her laughs!
Anyhow--look here, miss. If you'll take back _your_ words, I'll take
back _mine._ Cut 'em right out."

"Which words?" Win cautiously wanted to know.

"The whole lot, while we're about it. I guess a sister-in-law who's
got earls for cousins ought to be good enough for a _marchesa._ You've
_got_ me, I tell you! And you can have Peter, too, if you want him. Do
you?"

"I do," answered Win--and laughed again, the happiest, most surprised,
and excited laugh in the world.

"Then we've got each other--forever!" cried Petro. "And, Father, you
and I will have each other, too, after this, as we never had before.
You shall bless this day as I do, and as mother will."

"All right," said old Peter. "We'll see about that. Anyhow, shake
hands."

Petro shook.

"And you, too, girl."

Winifred hesitated slightly, then held out her burned fingers.

Peter senior gave them deliberately to his son.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Now we're all three in the business."

"And this is the way we're going to run it in future," said Petro.
"With love."

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Winnie Childs
by C. N. Williamson
A. M. Williamson

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WINNIE CHILDS ***

***** This file should be named 15014.txt or 15014.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.net/1/5/0/1/15014/

Produced by Ronald Holder and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic