r. Turner. "I should call from seven in the
morning until seven at night a pretty long day."

"Oh, I haven't been working all this time," laughed the boy. "Or at
least, if I have, I have been having the time of my life doing it."

Eagerly, and with youthful enthusiasm, he poured out the tale of the
day's happenings while the others listened.

"So you are starting out housekeeping, are you?" chuckled Mr. Turner,
when the narrative was finished. "It certainly ain't a bad idea. Not
that we're glad to get rid of you--although I will admit we ain't got
the room here that I wish we had. It is the amount of time you'll save
and the strength, too, that I'm thinking of. It must be a good three
miles up to Aldercliffe and Pine Lea is at least two miles farther.
Being on the spot is going to make a lot of difference. But how are you
going to get along? What will you do for food? I ain't going to have
you eating stuff out of tin cans."

"Oh, you needn't worry about me, Dad. Mr. Wharton has arranged for me
to take my meals with Mr. and Mrs. Stevens who have a cottage on the
place. Stevens is the head farmer, you know."

"A pretty penny that will cost you! What does the man think you are--a
millionaire?"

"Mr. Wharton told me the Fernalds would see to the bill."

"Oh! That's another matter," ejaculated Mr. Turner, entirely mollified.
"I will say it's pretty decent of Mr. Wharton. Seems to me he is doing
a good deal for you."

"Yes, he is."

"Well, all is you must do your full share in return so he won't lose
anything by it." The elder man paused thoughtfully. "Ain't there
anything we could do to help out? Perhaps we could donate something
toward your furnishings."

"Mr. Wharton said if I could supply my own bedding----"

"We certainly can do that," put in Ruth quickly. "There is a trunkful
of extra comforters and blankets in the back room that I should be
thankful enough to ship off somewhere else. And wouldn't you like some
curtains? Seems to me they'd make it cosy and homelike. I've a piece of
old chintz we've never used. Why not make it into curtains and do away
with buying window shades?"

"That would be great!"

"It would be lots more cheerful," remarked Nancy. "What kind of a bed
have you got?"

"I've built a wooden bunk-two bunks, in fact--one over the other like
the berths in a ship. I thought perhaps sometime Dad might want to come
up and visit me; and while I was at it, it was no more work to make two
bed