id. "We've been
such good friends here and had such a good time, it would be the thing
I'd like best to take you home with us, and show you where and how we
live. Mother, did you ever invite Kate to visit us?"

"I have, often, and she has said that she would," replied Mrs. Jardine.
"I think it would be nice for her to go from here with us; and then you
can take her home whenever she fails to find us interesting. How would
that suit you for a plan, my dear?"

"I think that would be a perfect ending to a perfect summer," said
Kate. "I can't see an objection in any way. Thank you very much."

"Then we'll call that settled," said John Jardine.

CHAPTER XI

A BUSINESS PROPOSITION

MID-AUGUST saw them on their way to Chicago. Kate had taken care of
Mrs. Jardine a few days while Jennie Weeks went home to see her mother
and arrange for her new work. She had no intention of going back to
school teaching. She preferred to brush Mrs. Jardine's hair, button
her shoes, write her letters, and read to her.

In a month, Jennie had grown so deft at her work and made herself so
appreciated, that she was practically indispensable to the elderly
woman, and therefore the greatest comfort to John. Immediately he saw
that his mother was properly cared for, sympathetically and even
lovingly, he made it his business to smooth Jennie's path in every way
possible. In turn she studied him, and in many ways made herself
useful to him. Often she looked at him with large and speculative eyes
as he sat reading letters, or papers, or smoking.

The world was all right with Kate when they crossed the sand dunes as
they neared the city. She was sorry about the situation in her home,
but she smiled sardonically as she thought how soon her father would
forget his anger when he heard about the city home and the kind of farm
she could have, merely by consenting to take it. She was that sure of
John Jardine; yet he had not asked her to marry him. He had seemed on
the verge of it a dozen times, and then had paused as if better
judgment told him it would be wise to wait a little longer. Now Kate
had concluded that there was a definite thing he might be waiting for,
since that talk about land.

She thought possibly she understood what it was. He was a business
man; he knew nothing else; he said so frankly. He wanted to show her
his home, his business, his city, his friends, and then he required--he
had almost put it into words--that