, I'd see that they helped out with the washing."

"How can they help me?" replied Mrs. Welcome. "Patience is up early every
morning and off to Mr. Price's store and Elsie is at the mill all day."

"That's so," said Harvey, "I didn't think, but surely they might--"

"Oh, they help a lot," broke in Mrs. Welcome, hurriedly. "They do all
their ironing at night. And that's all anyone could ask of them after
they come home tired from their work."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. Your two girls always do look nice."

"Thank you, Harvey."

"But Mrs. Welcome--"

"Yes, Harvey?"

"Don't you think--" Harvey stopped and looked about hesitatingly,--"Ah,
don't you think it would be just as well if Elsie didn't see quite as
much of this Chicago fellow?"

"Do you mean Mr. Druce?" inquired Mrs. Welcome.

"I do. Of course, he's all right--" Harvey again hesitated and puckered
his lips thoughtfully. "He wears fine clothing, patent leather shoes,
sports a diamond ring, but it seems to me Elsie's different somehow since
that Martin Druce began to hang around."

Mrs. Welcome laughed softly. There was a glint of humor in her eyes. "I
guess you're jealous, aren't you, Harvey?"

"Well, say I am," agreed Harvey. "Never mind that. Is it a good thing for
Elsie?"

"Elsie's a good girl," replied Mrs. Welcome.

"She sure is, Mrs. Welcome. That's why I want her to be Mrs. Harvey
Spencer."

Mrs. Welcome opened her eyes wide at this statement and looked kindly at
the stout young man before her.

"You mean it, Harvey?" she demanded.

"I'm so much in earnest," he replied, fumbling in his pocket, "that I've
got the ring right here."

He produced a plain gold wedding ring nestling in a white velvet case.
Mrs. Welcome uttered a little cry of gladness. She believed in Harvey,
who, incidentally, was all he pretended to be.

"O, I know I ain't much," went on Harvey, "just a clerk in a small town
store, but I've got ambitions. Look at all the great men! Where did they
begin? At the bottom."

Harvey paused. Then he looked all about him carefully and, satisfied with
this survey, leaned confidentially toward Mrs. Welcome and whispered:

"Say, can you keep a secret, Mrs. Welcome?"

"I guess so," replied Mrs. Welcome smiling. "Try me, Harvey."

"All right, I'm going to be a detective," Harvey announced proudly.

"You are, Harvey?" was the astonished reply.

"Just watch me," Harvey went on. "I'm taking a correspondence school
course. Here a