peacefully.

"The cat is Rod's idea," she said smilingly but in a very weak voice.
"He is a great nurse I should never have thought of the cat myself but
she gives me more comfort than all the medicine."

Ivory and Rodman drew up to the supper table, already set in the
kitchen, but before Ivory took his seat he softly closed the door that
led into the living-room. They ate their beans and brown bread and the
mince pie that had been the "splendid" feature of the meal, as reported
by the boy; and when they had finished, and Rodman was clearing the
table, Ivory walked to the window, lighting his pipe the while, and
stood soberly looking out on the snowy landscape. One could scarcely
tell it was twilight, with such sweeps of whiteness to catch every gleam
of the dying day.

"Drop work a minute and come here, Rod," he said at length. "Can you
keep a secret?"

"'Course I can! I'm chock full of 'em now, and nobody could dig one of
'em out o' me with a pickaxe!"

"Oh, well! If you're full you naturally couldn't hold another!"

"I could try to squeeze it in, if it's a nice one," coaxed the boy.

"I don't know whether you'll think it's a nice one, Rod, for it breaks
up one of your plans. I'm not sure myself how nice it is, but it's a
very big, unexpected, startling one. What do you think? Your favorite
Patty has gone and got married."

"Patty! Married!" cried Rod, then hastily putting his hand over his
mouth to hush his too-loud speaking.

"Yes, she and Mark Wilson ran away last Monday, drove over to Allentown,
New Hampshire, and were married without telling a soul. Deacon Baxter
discovered everything this afternoon, like the old fox that he is, and
turned Patty out of the house."

"Mean old skinflint!" exclaimed Rod excitedly, all the incipient
manhood rising in his ten-year-old breast. "Is she gone to live with the
Wilsons?"

"The Wilsons don't know yet that Mark is married to her, but I met him
driving like Jehu, just after I had left Patty, and told him everything
that had happened, and did my best to cool him down and keep him from
murdering his new father-in-law by showing him it would serve no real
purpose now."

"Did he look married, and all different?" asked Rod curiously.

"Yes, he did, and more like a man than ever he looked before in his
life. We talked everything over together, and he went home at once
to break the news to his family, without even going to take a peep at
Patty. I couldn't bear to hav