Maggie,' returned Mrs. Byrne soothingly; 'I'll treat
him as one o' my boys, an' ye know I manage to keep them out o' their
father's way when he's too quarrelsome. Besides, Mat knows as ye're
payin' well for Jack, and that, if naught else, will keep him civil to
the lad.'

'I hope so,' murmured the mother sadly; 'an' if all goes well we'll
have our boy with us again in a year.'

'Aye, a year'll go quick enough, never fear!' concluded her sister
cheerfully; 'an' Jack'll get on finely at his schoolin' in that time.'

The night before they started came, and Jack, who had gone early to
bed, lay sobbing quietly to himself, quite unable to go to sleep.
Before long his mother came softly into the room and stood beside him.
She noticed the flushed, tear-stained face on the pillow, and exclaimed
in a grieved voice, 'Oh, Jack, darling, don't take on so! It'll break
my heart if I think o' ye frettin' all the time.'

'I can't help it, Mother!' cried Jack. 'What shall I do without Dad
an' ye?'

'Ye must think o' the meeting ahead, dearie. P'raps if Daddy does well
in this new part of the country, an' I can get strong again, we may
make our home up near the grand mountains as ye've never seen. It's so
different from this hot prairie, fur there are big trees to shade ye
from the sun, an' little brooks, called creeks, running down the sides
of the hills.'

'Aye, I'd like to go an' live up thar,' cried Jack. 'I hope ye'll send
fur me soon, an' I'll try an' be good. I do love Aunt Sue, but I'm
scared o' Uncle Mat at times.'

'Never fear, Jack,' said his mother, putting her arms round him; 'Aunt
Sue'll see as ye come to no harm. But, oh! dearie, how I wish I could
take ye with me!' And the poor woman broke down and mingled her tears
with Jack's.

But the boy suddenly remembered his promise to his father, and, knowing
how bad the excitement was for his mother, he made a great effort to
stop crying, and, rubbing his tears away, he said, 'Mother! this won't
do; I promised Dad I'd be brave!'

'You're right, Jack. We mustn't give way again. I ought to have kept
up better. I must be goin' now, dearie, an' before I say good-night,
will ye promise me not to forget to say yer prayers every day, an' ask
God to take care of us all till we meet again?'

'I promise,' said Jack gravely.

'An' ye'll sing the hymns I've taught ye sometimes, won't ye, laddie?'
asked his mother softly.

'I won't forget,' returned Jack, as he kiss