in' to spare him a little. But,
after all, he's a man, so he might as well come down and find things out
for himself. It'll be an awful shock, but no matter. Besides, maybe
Ellen'll write him. In fact, I'm sure she will."

"Ellen!" Rosie snorted scornfully. "Ellen never yet has done anything
she hasn't wanted to do and I don't see her beginning now!"

"We've all got to begin some time," Danny remarked.

Rosie pointed her finger impressively. "Danny Agin, I know Ellen O'Brien
Long better than you do and, when I say she'll never write a line to
Jarge, I guess I know what I'm talking about."

"I'm sure you do," Danny murmured meekly. "If you say she won't, she
won't. I wouldn't question your word for a hundred dollars. If you tell
me that Jarge is not to get a letter, then it's settled. He won't get a
letter." Danny sighed. "Poor Jarge! I do feel sorry for him! It'll be an
awful shock to him!" Danny sighed again. "But, of course, every one has
to take a few shocks in this life. Ah, me!"

Rosie sighed, too. "If I was to write him, Danny, what would I say?"

Danny wagged his head. "It'd be a pretty hard letter and, as you say
yourself, why should you?"

"I know it would be hard," Rosie agreed, "but, if I wanted to write it,
I guess it wouldn't be too hard for me. Only I'm not quite sure what to
say."

Danny squinted his little eyes thoughtfully. "Well, Rosie, if I was
writing such a letter, to begin with I'd tell me bad news as quickly as
I could and have it over with. Then, if it was some one I was real fond
of, I'd tell him what I thought of him. It don't hurt any one to be told
he has a friend or two. Then I'd fill in with all the family news and
talk I could, so's he wouldn't feel lonely. At first he wouldn't have
eyes for anything but the bad news, but, after while, he'd begin to take
comfort from the rest of the letter and, if it was written with lots of
love and feelin', I'm thinkin' there'd come a time when he'd be readin'
that part over and over and over again, I dunno how many times, and
takin' a little more comfort from it each time."

Rosie stood up a little breathlessly. "Good-bye, Danny. I must hurry
home. I've got something to do."

"Don't be runnin' off," Danny begged. "Besides, I'm not done yet with
the letter. As I was sayin', I wouldn't try to finish it in one sitting.
I'd write at it as much as I could every day and in a week's time it'd
be a good big letter."

"But, Danny, Thanksgiving's not