rful pallor of his face. Forgetful of
the guests he had in tow, he marched into the house and straight up the
stairway with the children still at his heels. At the door of the flag
room he knocked, then without waiting for a summons from within, he
entered.

The two scatterers of Christmas cheer had finished their work by this
time and were now gleefully watching the feathered folk of the air
settling about the unexpected repast, so they scarcely heard the steps
in the hall or the creak of the opening door. But at the peculiar sound
of the voice speaking to them, both girls wheeled quickly, and Peace
asked in guilty haste, "Did you want us, grandpa?"

"Yes, come here, both of you."

They went and stood at his knee, a secret fear tugging at each little
heart as they saw the unusually stern look he bent upon them.

"Is--is--what--why--," stammered Peace, wishing he would smile a little
to relieve the keenness of his glance.

"What were you doing just now?"

"Feeding the birds like the Swedes do on Christmas Day, only we didn't
have a pole to hitch our wheat to, and all our wheat was in kernels
anyway, and we were told not to go downstairs until Jud and the girls
were through dec'rating, so we clum out of the window and I got some hay
and grain just as slick! Don't the birds look as if they were enjoying
their Christmas dinner?" Peace rattled on, speaking so rapidly that the
words fairly tumbled out of her mouth.

"Didn't I tell you when you chose this room for your own that you would
forfeit it the first time you used the window for the stairway?"

"No, grandpa," came the astounding reply from both eager little girls.
"You said _porch_, _pillars_, and we have _never_ used them for
stairways since the time we told you about. We 'membered that
_carefully_, and this time we used that wide piece that sticks out of
the wall, and then clum down Jud's ladder from the back porch roof. That
ain't the balcony pillars, grandpa. You never said we couldn't go down
that way."

In absolute amazement the learned Doctor of Laws gazed long and
silently into the anxious, upturned faces. Allee's lips began to
tremble, and even Peace, remembering the Doctor's words in regard to
lickings the night of the surprise party in the little brown house,
shook in her shoes; but she steadfastly returned his gaze, and quietly
repeated, "You know you didn't, grandpa!"

"No," he said at last. "I did not forbid your going down that way, but
it