ittle station away back in the
woods, and Orchard Glen lay midway between it and Algonquin. It was
merely a flag station set away in the swamp, and not a fitting place to
meet a hero home from the war, but every one agreed that in this
emergency it proved a real refuge from the greed of Algonquin. It was
a grand notion of The Woman's, and all Orchard Glen fairly held its
sides laughing at the enemy's discomfiture.

So there was nothing for the vanquished but a retreat. They
accomplished it hastily, and dug themselves in, there to await a later
opportunity when Gavin would be received in proper style after Orchard
Glen had got over blowing its trumpets.

But Orchard Glen had to learn that they could not keep Gavin quite to
themselves. A reporter from one of the Algonquin weekly papers came
out to the village; and later a couple of representatives of Toronto
papers. They all had dinner at Craig-Ellachie and they took pictures
of the old house, and of the three Aunties in the garden, and another
of Auntie Elspie spinning in the door way. And they carried off a
photograph of Gavin in his Highland bonnet and kilt, and it was all
published in a great page of the Saturday issue, the pictures of the
beautiful old home, and the thrilling tale of Gavin's glorious deed,
with his picture in the centre of it all, and underneath his
battle-cry, "Stand Fast, Craig-Ellachie!"

And the Aunties were so proud and happy, that they could neither eat
nor sleep, but just wandered about the house and garden in a happy daze.

And through all the interviews, not one of the clever, keen-scented
reporters, discovered that the hero had been just a poor waif from an
Orphan Asylum that Auntie Elspie had plucked as a brand from the
furnace of Skinflint Jenkins's cruelty.

The Grant Girls were eager to guard the secret, but that required some
finesse of which they were entirely incapable. But Mrs. Johnnie Dunn
was equal to any occasion, and she managed to be at Craig-Ellachie
during the interviews. She kept close to the reporters, answering all
their questions, and forestalling any that might be embarrassing.
Without making any direct statements that might hurt the tender
consciences of the Aunties, she led the newspaper men gently along a
train of thought that ended in the firm impression that Gavin was the
only child of their brother, with all his virtues and many more of his
own. It was a subtle suggestion of The Woman's that made the