nder some of his schemes he would come
home and fix up the old farm and make it the finest place in Ontario.
He was going to buy all the new machinery for John, and have electric
light,----

"And a piano," put in Christina, "we need one far worse than we need a
hay loader, don't we, Mary?"

"You'll have one some day if I go bust," shouted Allister, and went on
to tell of profits and prices and real estate deals. His mother's face
looked a little wistful, but if there was rather much talk of money and
none of the wealth that thieves cannot steal, she put aside her
disappointment. Allister was home, he was well and prosperous and that
was surely enough happiness for one day. She sat beside him, keeping
tight hold of his hand, patting it occasionally and repeating Gaelic
words of endearment, precious words he had not heard since he was a
child and which brought a sting to his eyes.

The family conference did not last long, for the neighbours had heard
that Allister Lindsay was home from the West, and the chores were not
nearly completed when visitors began to arrive to welcome the long
absent one. The girls hurried about their work, while Allister ran
here and there and got in every one's way. He followed Christina down
to the milking and back again to the spring house and helped her with
the separator, and she was rapturously happy that he should single her
out for special notice.

He was back at the barnyard with Uncle Neil again, when she came out of
the barn with a basket of eggs. Uncle Neil was turning the cows into
the back lane to drive them up to the pasture.

"Here, Uncle Neil, let me do that," cried Allister. "I want to see
what it feels like to drive the cows to the back pasture again. Hurrah
here, Christine! Come along with me, for fear I get lost!"

Christina fairly threw her basket of eggs at Uncle Neil, and ran after
her brother. They walked hand in hand up the lane like a couple of
children.

"Maybe you wanted to go back to the house and get dolled up before the
boys come," he said, looking down at her big milking apron.

Christina eyed him suspiciously. She was wondering if he was thinking
that she needed much more fixing up than her sisters.

"No," she answered, "I'm beautiful enough without. It's just girls
like Ellen and Mary that need to be fussing over their looks."

Allister looked down at her in admiration that was impossible to
mistake.

"By ginger, you're right," he shout