, anyway. I don't have to live with him; neither do you."

"Do you mean to say," asked the eldest, giving the table a blow with his
fist, "that you think a city's the place for a girl, friends or no
friends? Nobody's goin' to look after her, when she leaves here, as
careful as we do."

"The bishop," suggested the little girl, advancing almost imploringly.

"The bishop!" sneered the youngest.

"I thought you washed your hands of this," reminded the biggest, with a
look that instantly quieted the youngest; "I guess maybe you didn't get
'em clean. At any rate, you'd better jus' make jackstraws." He faced the
eldest again.

"I say the city's no place for her," the latter continued hotly. He
pointed through the open door to where, above the ash-trees, a hawk was
pursuing a field-sparrow that vainly, by sudden dips and rises, strove
to escape its enemy. "You see that?" he cried. "Well, in every city
there's a thousand hawks with their claws out waiting to swoop down on
them that don't watch. She'd better not go, I say. She'll be safe and
happy here. It was so long since mother'd seen a big place she forgot
how it is there. It's not too late to stop gettin' ready. You'd better
stay." He stood up and whirled about upon the little girl.

The biggest brother gave a dissenting shake of the head. "She'll be safe
enough," he said. "It's only when a little bird gets careless that the
hawk gets him. What do _you_ know about a city, anyhow?"

"The hardware man says--" began the eldest.

The biggest cut him short. "There's some people in this world that can't
do a lick of good," he said, "but they can do any amount of mischief.
That hardware man's one of 'em."

"She ain't got enough money to last her more 'n six months," the eldest
asserted, once more changing ground.

"I've got what I've just made teaching," said the little girl.

The biggest shook a warning finger at her. "I'm runnin' this
parley-voo," he laughed. Then he became serious again. "She's got what
she's jus' made teachin'," he agreed. "Well, that won't last her long.
So--" He hesitated, arose, and began to walk the floor nervously.
"Course," he faltered, "I bought that quarter-section from the Swede.
But I don't need it more 'n a cat needs two tails. Jus' bought it to be
a-doin'. So--I've concluded to call the bargain off, and buy some land
later on. The--the--youngster can have the little pile I've got."

For a moment no one spoke. Then the little girl put ou