Old Daniel Holbrook had driven up from the station, sitting erect in the
buggy behind Jed, the sorrel horse. His errand, as he had explained to
Ma Holbrook, was to see how Teeny-bits was "getting along." He arrived
at dusk and, after hitching the sorrel to a post outside Gannett Hall,
mounted the two flights of steps to Number 34. He found Teeny-bits just
beginning to study.

"Well, now, it does seem nice to see you," he said. "Your Ma and I've
been kind o' lonesome, and she allowed as how I ought to pay you a mite
of a call. I said as how she ought to come too, but I couldn't budge
her. She said wimmen folks weren't wanted around boardin' schools."

"It's great to see you," said Teeny-bits. "The fellows here have been
wonderful, but of course it isn't home, you know, and I've missed you
folks a lot. I wish Ma _had_ come; you tell her not to be so bashful
next time."

Old Daniel Holbrook smiled benignly. It pleased him to have Teeny-bits
so obviously glad to see him and so sincerely speaking of Ma and his
wish to see her.

"I suppose wimmin folks _are_ a trifle more timid than men folks about
putting themselves forred," he remarked, "but when it comes to
thoughtfulness you can't get 'em beat. Now take this box that she put
into my hands--I don't know but what I'm entering into a conspiracy to
break some of the rules of this school, but Ma just plain insisted that
I bring it along and I have a _faint_ suspicion that it contains
somethin' to eat. I seen her fussin' round the kitchen with choc'late
frosted cake and some other contraptions, and from the size of the
package I'd say she'd put most of 'em in. The question is: am I breakin'
any regalations if I leave it? Just say the word, and I'll take it back
home."

"Not on your life!" said Teeny-bits fervently. "You're not breaking any
rules, and believe me, whatever it is, it won't last very long. I've
some friends around here who would climb right through the transom if
they knew that there was anything like that in this room."

"That being the case," said the station master, "here she remains. I'll
put it on the table. Now tell me, how's things going?"

"It's so much better than I thought it would be," said Teeny-bits, "that
it hardly seems real. I want to tell you that there are some of the
finest fellows in the world in this dormitory, and the whole school is
just O. K."

While Daniel Holbrook, sitting back comfortably in Teeny-bits' spare
chair, listened