true?"

But Mr. Day refused to quarrel. He took a long drink from the pail of
fresh water Marty had brought. Then he said, tentatively:

"Breakfast most ready, Almiry? I'm right sharp-set."

When Janice and Marty came down they were not talking of the bedstead
at all. But Aunt 'Mira was rather gloomy all through the meal, and
looked accusingly at her husband every time she heaped his plate with
pork, and cakes, and "white gravey."

Mr. Day quite ignored these looks. He was even chatty--for him--with
Janice. It was a school day, and Janice hurried to put on her hat and
get her school bag, into which she slipped the luncheon that her aunt
very kindly put up for her. Aunt 'Mira had really begun to "put
herself out" for her niece, and the luncheon was always tasty and
nicely arranged.

"Wait for me, Marty!" she cried, as her cousin was sliding out of the
door in his usual attempt to get away unobserved, and so not be called
back for any unexpected chores.

"Aw, come on! A gal's always behind--like a cow's tail!" growled the
chivalrous Marty. "What you want?"

Janice gave him a quarter of a dollar secretly. "Now, you get that
pump leather and you bring it home this noon. Just put it on the table
by your father's plate," she commanded. "You going to do it for me?"

"Sure," grinned Marty. "And I'll see that he don't lose it, nuther. I
know Dad. He'll need more than _that_ suggestion to git him started on
that old pump."

"We'll try," sighed Janice; and then Marty ran on ahead of her to
overtake one of his boy friends. He would have been ashamed to be
caught walking with his girl cousin by daylight, and on the public
streets of Poketown!

After school that day, when Janice arrived again at the old Day house,
the first thing she heard was her aunt's complaining voice begging
Marty to go down to Dickerson's for a bucket of water.

"What's the matter with Dad?" demanded the boy. "Didn't I bring him
that pump leather? Huh!"

"Mebbe your father will git around to fixin' the pump staff, and he kin
make that in ten minutes. I believe he's got a stick for't out in the
workshop now, he won't be driv'."

"Janice wasted her good money, then," said Marty, with fine disgust.
"All else it needs is a pump staff, and he kin make that in ten
minutes. I believe he's got a stick for't out in the workshop--had it
there for months."

"Now, you git erlong with that pail, Marty," commanded his mother, "and
don'