Louise and with Colonel Hathaway, both of whom greatly admired her
cleverness, her clear head and shrewd judgment. Mary Louise,
especially, had developed a friendship for the embryo girl detective
and had longed to know her more intimately. So she congratulated
herself on the happy thought of inviting Josie to Cragg's Crossing and
was delighted that the vague mystery surrounding the Cragg family
offered an adequate excuse to urge the girl to come to her. There
seemed nothing in the way of such a visit, for Officer O'Gorman,
however pleased he might be at his daughter's success in her first
detective case, declared Josie yet too young to enter active service
and insisted that she acquire further age and experience before he
would allow her to enter her chosen profession in earnest. "One
swallow," he said, "doesn't make a summer, and the next bird you fly
might prove a buzzard, my dear. Take your time, let your wits mature,
and you'll be the better for it in the end."

So Mary Louise waited impatiently for Josie's reply, meantime seeing as
much of Ingua as she could and trying to cement the growing friendship
between them. Ingua responded eagerly to her advances and as old Mr.
Cragg was away from home the greater part of the day there was much
crossing of the stepping-stones by both girls and more than one
"afternoon tea" in the pavilion.

"Do you know," said Ingua one day, in confidential mood, "I haven't had
the devils since that time I started to run away and you stopped me?
P'r'aps it's because I'm not as hungry as I used to be; but, anyhow,
I'm glad I stayed. Gran'dad's been good, too, 'though he's got the
'wakes' ag'in."

"What are the 'wakes'?" asked Mary Louise.

"Can't sleep nights. Goes t' bed on time, ye know, but gits up ag'in
an' dresses himself an' walks."

"In the house?"

"No, walks out o' doors. Sometimes he'll come in at jes' daylight;
sometimes not till break-fas' is ready."

"And doesn't that make him cross, Ingua?"

"Not a bit. It seems to chirk him up. Yist'day mornin', when he come
in, he was feelin' so chipper he give me a cent, an' told me to buy
somethin' useful. I guess that's the first cent he ever give me. I've
_took_ money o' his'n, but he never _give_ me none afore."

"Oh, Ingua! I hope you haven't stolen money?"

"Nope. Jes' took it. It ain't easy, 'cause he knows ev'ry cent he's
got, an' it ain't often he leaves it where I kin git it. P'r'aps he
knows it's me, but when I lie o