e was a girl at Miss Brown's a year ago who had loads of money, and
yet she declared she was going to have an occupation. Nobody knew much
about her or why she left school suddenly in the middle of a term. I
liked her, for she was very nice to me when I first went there, a
stranger. Mr. Reddon--you've heard me speak of him--was devoted to her,
and I'm sure she liked him. It was only yesterday I heard from her. She
is going to teach school in this township next winter."

"An' she's got money?"

"I am sure she had it in those days. It's the strangest thing in the
world that she should be coming here to teach school in No. 5.
Congressman Ritchey secured the appointment for her, she says. The
township trustee--whatever his name is--for a long time insisted that he
must appoint a teacher from Tinkletown and not an outsider. I am glad
she is coming here because--well, daddy, because she is like the girls
I knew in the city. She has asked me to look up a boarding place for
next winter. Do you know of any one, daddy, who could let her have a
nice room?"

"I'll bet my ears you'd like to have your ma take her in right here. But
I don't see how it c'n be done, Rosie-posie. There's so derned many of
us now, an'--"

"Oh, I didn't mean that, daddy. She couldn't come here. But don't you
think Mrs. Jim Holabird would take her in for the winter?"

"P'raps. She's a widder. She might let her have Jim's room now that
there's a vacancy. You might go over an' ast her about it to-morrer.
It's a good thing she's a friend of yourn, Rosalie, because if she
wasn't I'd have to fight her app'intment."

"Why, daddy!" reproachfully.

"Well, she's a foreigner, an' I don't think it's right to give her a job
when we've got so many home products that want the place an' who look
unpopular enough to fill the bill. I'm fer home industry every time, an'
'specially as this girl don't appear to need the place. I don't see what
business Congressman Ritchey has foolin' with our school system anyhow.
He'd better be reducin' the tariff er increasin' the pensions down to
Washington."

"I quite agree with you, Daddy Crow," said Rosalie with a diplomacy that
always won for her. She knew precisely how to handle her guardian, and
that was why she won where his own daughters failed. "And now,
good-night, daddy. Go to bed and don't worry about me. You'll have me
on your hands much longer than you think or want. What time is it?"

Anderson patted her head refle