ust have loved to fix up the house and make
it look pleasant for her and love her as if she were my own daughter."

Father's eyes were moist, too. "H'm! Yes!" he said, trying to clear his
throat. "I guess she'd be com'ny for you, too, Mother, when I have to go
to town, and she'd help around with the work some when she got better."

"I've been thinking," said Mother. "I've always thought I'd like to fix
up the spare room. I read in my magazine how to fix up a young girl's
room when she comes home from college, and I'd like to fix it like that
if there's time. You paint the furniture white, and have two sets of
curtains, pink and white, and little shelves for her books. Do you think
we could do it?"

"Why, sure!" said Father. He was so pleased to see Mother interested
like this that he was fairly trembling. She had been so still and quiet
and wistful ever since the news came about Stephen. "Why, sure! Get some
pretty wall-paper, too, while you're 'bout it. S'posen you and I take a
run to town again in the morning and pick it out. Then you can pick your
curtains and paint, too, and get Jed Lewis to come in the afternoon and
put on the first coat. How about calling him up on the 'phone right now
and asking him about it? I'm real glad we've got that 'phone. It'll come
in handy now."

Mother's eyes glistened. The 'phone was another thing Stephen insisted
upon before he left home. They hadn't used it half a dozen times except
when the telegrams came, but they hadn't the heart to have it
disconnected, because Stephen had taken so much pride in having it put
in. He said he didn't like his mother left alone in the house without a
chance to call a neighbor or send for the doctor.

"Come to think of it, hadn't you better send a telegram to that chap
to-night? You know we can 'phone it down to the town office. He'll maybe
be worried how you're going to take that letter. Tell him he's struck
the right party, all right, and you're on the job writing that little
girl a letter to-night that'll make her welcome and no mistake. But tell
him we'll finance this operation ourselves, and he can save the
ottymobeel for the next case that comes along--words to that effect you
know, Mother."

The supper things were shoved back and the telephone brought into
requisition. They called up Jed Lewis first before he went to bed, and
got his reluctant promise that he would be on hand at two o'clock the
next afternoon. They had to tell him they we