is mind occupied and his thoughts away
from himself.

At last one morning the telegraph messenger knocked at the door, and
brought the welcome message.

A broad smile passed over Mr. Gurney's face as he read the telegram, and he
handed it to his wife, saying:

"Dexie sent that telegram or wrote it, or I'm very much mistaken."

Whereupon Hugh was very anxious to read it, and to his great delight Mrs.
Gurney passed it over to him, and this is what he read:

"Kill the prodigal; the fatted calves are on the way."

For the first time in many weeks, Hugh burst into a hearty laugh, and he
read the words over until he could almost fancy he heard Dexie's laughing
voice beside him.

"Well, that message may have seemed incomprehensible to the transmitter of
it, but it tells us a long story," said Mrs. Gurney, a smile lighting up
her face. "It says they are well and in good spirits, that they are glad to
be coming home again, but will be very hungry when they get here, so I had
better bestir myself and 'kill the prodigal,'" and she rose to visit the
kitchen.

"Well, she has told the story within the limit of ten words, too," said
Hugh, making some excuse for keeping the bit of paper so long before him.

"What prodigal are you going to kill, mamma?" said Gracie, following her
mother into the kitchen.

"Oh! that is what we will call the big fat chicken that eats so much oats,
and picks the little ones on the back when they try to get a mouthful. He
will do for a prodigal, so we will have him cooked for Elsie's supper."

Gracie sat down on a low stool, her face wearing a puzzled expression, and
she began to repeat to herself the parable of the prodigal son. Suddenly a
bright look came over her face, for she had solved the troublesome riddle,
and she joyfully exclaimed:

"Oh, mamma! Dexie didn't learn it right; they didn't kill the prodigal, it
was the fatted calf that was cooked! Oh, dear! how funny to make such a
mistake, and she such a big girl! Say, Hugh," as he passed through the
room, "Dexie is the prodigal, and not the fatted calf, isn't she?"

And with more earnestness than the subject demanded he replied: "I hope
so."

It was Mr. Gurney who drove to the depot in the evening to meet the
travellers, much to the disappointment of Hugh, who hoped to be the first
to receive Dexie's greetings; but the excitement of their arrival had
somewhat subsided by the time he made his appearance in the house.

It is needless