o swim twenty feet further I would have
lost out. Really, I thought you'd come through after that."

"I would if you'd waited a bit," old Hector protested miserably. "You
ought to know I never do things in a hurry."

"Well, I do, Dad, but all the same I grew weary waiting for you. Then
I made up my mind I'd never tell you about Nan until you and Mother
and the girls had completely reversed yourselves and taken Nan for
the woman she is and not the woman you once thought she was."

"Well, you've won, haven't you?" The Laird's voice was very husky.

"Yes, I have; and it's a sweet victory, I assure you."

"Then shut up. Shut up, I tell you."

"All right! I'm through--forever."

The Laird bent his beetling brows upon Nan. "And you?" he demanded.
"Have you finished?"

She came to him and laid her soft cheek against his. "You funny old
man," she whispered. "Did you ever hear that I had begun?"

"Well, nae, I have not--now that you mention it. And, by the way, my
dear! Referring to my grandson's half-brother?"

"Yes."

"I understand he's a McKaye."

"Yes, Donald has legally adopted him."

"Well, then, I'll accept him as an adopted grandson, my dear. I think
there'll be money enough for everybody. But about this scalawag of a
man that fathered him. I'll have to know who he is. We have a suit of
zebra clothing waiting for him, my dear."

"No, you haven't, Father McKaye. My boy's father is never going to be
a convict. That man has other children, too."

"I'm going to have a glass frame made and in it I'm going to arrange
photographic reproductions of all the documents in Nan's case," Donald
stated. "The history of the case will all be there, then, with the
exception, of course, of the name of the man. In deference to Nan's
desires I will omit that. Then I'll have that case screwed into the
wall of the post-office lobby where all Port Agnew can see and
understand--"

"Nellie," The Laird interrupted, "please stop fiddling with that baby
and dress him. Daughter, get my other grandson ready, and you, Donald,
run over to the mill office. My car is standing there. Bring it here
and we'll all go home to The Dreamerie--yes, and tell Daney to come up
and help me empty a bottle to--to--to my additional family. He'll
bring his wife, of course, but then we must endure the bitter with the
sweet. Good old file, Daney. None better."

Donald put on his cap and departed. As the front gate closed behind
him Hector McKaye spran