ed
this favor. Yes, but Rising Water Ranch was not within those limits,
nor within several thousand miles of them; so Jerry played the last
chorus firmly, swiftly, without comment, and Belle gratefully withdrew.
The Porters, unseen witnesses of this scene, on the porch, thought this
very amusing; but only a day later Mrs. Porter herself was discovered
in the act of buttoning the long line of buttons that went down the
back of one of Belle's immaculate white gowns.

"Well, what could I do? She suddenly backed up before me," Mrs. Porter
said in self-defence. "Could I tell her to let Hong button her?"

After dinner on the same day Peter Porter cleared a space before him on
the table and proceeded to a demonstration involving a fork, a wedding
ring, and a piece of string. While the quartet, laughing, were absorbed
in the mysterious swinging of the suspended ring, Belle, putting away
her clean silver, suddenly joined the group.

"I know a better one than that," said she, putting a glass of water
before Mrs. Tressady. "Here--take your ring again. Now wait--I'll pull
out one of your hairs for you. Now swing it over the water inside the
glass. It'll tell your age."

Entirely absorbed in the experiment, her fresh young face close to
theirs, her arms crossed as she knelt by the table, she had eyes only
for the ring.

"We won't keep you from your dishes, Belle," said Molly.

"Oh, I'm all through," said Belle, cheerfully. "There!" For the ring
was beginning to strike the glass with delicate, even strokes--thirty.

"Now do it again," cried Belle, delightedly, "and it'll tell your
married life!"

Again the ring struck the glass--eight.

"Well, that's very marvellous," said Molly, in genuine surprise; but
when Belle had gone back to her pantry, Mrs. Tressady rose, with a
little sigh, and followed her.

"Call her down?" asked Jerry, an hour later.

"Well, no," the lady admitted, smiling. "No! She was putting away
Timmy's bibs, and she told me that he had seemed a little upset
to-night, she thought; so she gave him just barley gruel and the white
of an egg for supper, and some rhubarb water before he went to bed. And
what could I say? But I will, though!"

During the following week Mrs. Tressady told Belle she must not rush
into a room shouting news--she must enter quietly and wait for an
opportunity to speak; Mrs. Tressady asked her to leave the house by the
side porch and quietly when going out in the evening to drive w