ou, Ellie?" he greeted calmly. "I thought Potter wasn't to let
you know I was coming; he must be getting garrulous as he grows old.
However, since you are here, I'm very glad to see you, my boy."

"Hello, dad," I said meekly, and helped Beryl out. I wasn't at all sure
that I was glad to see him, just then. Telling dad face to face was a lot
different from telling him by telegraph. I swallowed.

"Dad, let me introduce you to Miss--Mrs. Beryl King--that is, Carleton; my
_wife_." I got that last word out plain enough, at any rate.

Dad stared. For once I had rather floored him. But he's a thoroughbred,
all right; you can't feaze him for longer than ten seconds, and then only
in extreme cases. He leaned down over the rail and held out his hand to
her.

"I'm very glad to meet you, Mrs. Beryl King--that is, Carleton," he said,
mimicking me. "Come up and give your dad-in-law a proper welcome."

Beryl did. I wondered how long it had been since dad had been kissed like
that. It made me gulp once or twice to think of all he had missed.

Frosty and Edith came up, then, and Edith shook hands with dad and
I introduced Frosty. Five minutes, there on the platform, went for
explanations. Dad didn't say much; he just listened and sized up the
layout. Then he led us through the vestibule into the drawing-room. And
I knew, from the look of him, that we would get his verdict straight.
But it was a relief not to see his finger-tips together.

"Perry Potter wrote me something of all this," he observed, settling
himself comfortably in his pet chair. "He said this young cub needed
looking after, or King--your father, Mrs. Carleton--would have him by the
heels. I thought I'd better come and see what particular brand of--er--

"As for the motor, I might make shift to take it back myself, seeing
Potter hasn't got a rig here to meet me. And if you'd like a little jaunt
in the _Shasta_, you four, you're welcome to her for a couple of weeks or
so. I'm not going back right away. Ellis has done his da--er--is married
and off my hands, so I can take a vacation too. I can arrange
transportation over any lines you want, before I start for the ranch. Will
that do?"

I guess he found that it would, from the way Edith and Beryl made for him.

Frosty glanced out of the window and motioned to me. I looked, and we both
bolted for the door, reaching it just as old King's foot was on the lower
step of the platform. Weaver, looking like chief mourner at