rest are wrapped in furs and steamer rugs, with hotwater bottles at
their feet, you've got on a shawl. I'll bet you two dollars you haven't
got on any--er--winter flannels."

"I never bet," I retorted, and went on folding up the steamer rugs.

"I'd like to help," he said, "but you're so darned capable, Miss
Minnie--"

"You might see if you can get the slot-machine empty," I said. "It's
full of water. It wouldn't work and Mr. Moody thought it was frozen.
He's been carrying out boiling water all afternoon. If it stays in there
and freezes the thing will explode."

He wasn't listening. He'd been fussing with his package and now he
opened it and handed it to me, in the paper.

"It's a sweater," he said, not looking at me. "I bought it for myself
and it was too small-- Confound it, Minnie, I wish I could lie! I bought
them for you! There's the whole business--sweater, cap, leggings and
mittens. Go on! Throw them at me!"

But I didn't. I looked at them, all white and soft, and it came over
me suddenly how kind people had been lately, and how much I'd been
getting--the old doctor's waistcoat buttons and Miss Pat's furs, and now
this! I just buried my face in them and cried.

Doctor Barnes stood by and said nothing. Some men wouldn't have
understood, but he did. After a minute or so he came over and pulled the
sweater out from the bundle.

"I'm glad you like 'em," he said, "but as I bought them at Hubbard's, in
Finleyville, and as the old liar guaranteed they wouldn't shrink, we'd
better not cry on 'em."

Well, I put them on and I was warmer and happier than I had been for
some time. But that night when I went out to the shelter-house with
the supper basket I found both the honeymooners in a wild state of
excitement. They said that about five o'clock Thoburn had gone out to
the shelter-house and walked all around it. Finally he had stopped at
one of the windows of the other room, had worked at it with his penknife
and got it open, and crawled through. They sat paralyzed with fright,
and heard him moving around the other room, and he even tried their
door. But it had been locked. They hadn't the slightest idea what he was
doing, but after perhaps ten minutes he went away, going out the door
this time and taking the key with him.

Mr. Dick had gone in when he was safely gone, but he could see nothing
unusual, except that the door of the cupboard in the corner was standing
open and there was a brand-new, folding, foot