affer would advance upon
the little farm; but it was sufficient to put Toby in the usurer's
power. This was the story Nan learned regarding Toby. And Uncle Henry
believed that Toby, with his old-time knowledge of land-boundaries,
could tell, if he would, which was right in the present contention
between Mr. Sherwood and Gedney Raffer.

These, and many other subjects of thought, kept the mind of Nan Sherwood
occupied during the first few weeks of her sojourn at Pine Camp. She
had, too, to keep up her diary that she had begun for Bess Harley's
particular benefit. Every week she sent off to Tillbury a bulky section
of this report of her life in the Big woods. It was quite wonderful how
much there proved to be to write about. Bess wrote back, enviously, that
never did anything interesting, by any possibility, happen, now that
Nan was away from Tillbury. The town was "as dull as ditch water." She,
Bess, lived only in hopes of meeting her chum at Lakeview Hall the next
September.

This hope Nan shared. But it all lay with the result of Momsey's and
Papa Sherwood's visit to Scotland and Emberon Castle. And, Nan thought,
it seemed as though her parents never would even reach that far distant
goal.

They had taken a slow ship for Momsey's benefit and the expected
re-telegraphed cablegram was looked for at the Forks for a week before
it possibly could come.

It was a gala day marked on Nan's calendar when Uncle Henry, coming home
from the railroad station behind the roan ponies, called to her to
come out and get the message. Momsey and Papa Sherwood had sent it from
Glasgow, and were on their way to Edinburgh before Nan received the
word. Momsey had been very ill a part of the way across the ocean, but
went ashore in improved health.

Nan was indeed happy at this juncture. Her parents were safely over
their voyage on the wintry ocean, so a part of her worry of mind was
lifted.

Meanwhile spring was stealing upon Pine Camp without Nan's being really
aware of the fact. Uncle Henry had said, back in Chicago, that "the back
of winter was broken"; but the extreme cold weather and the deep snow
she had found in the Big Woods made Nan forget that March was passing
and timid April was treading on his heels.

A rain lasting two days and a night washed the roads of snow and turned
the fast disappearing drifts to a dirty yellow hue. In sheltered fence
corners and nooks in the wood, the grass lifted new, green blades, and
queer lit