whole job," he decided upon
receiving a letter from Peggy. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say
upon reading between the lines, because it was not so much what Peggy
had _said_ as that which she left unsaid, which puzzled him, and to
which puzzle Harrison supplied the key in her funny monthly report.
Never in all the ten years of her stewardship had she failed to send her
monthly letter.

Harrison was a most conscientious old body if somewhat below par in
educational advantages. Nevertheless, she had filled her position as
nurse, maid and housekeeper to Peggy's mother for over thirty years,
and to Peggy for ten more and her idea of duty was "Peggy first, Martha
Harrison second." Her letter to Neil Stewart, which he read while his
ship was being overhauled in the Boston Navy Yard, set him thinking. It
ran:

Severndale, Maryland.
September 21, 19--

Captain Neil Stewart,
U. S. N.

Respected Sir:--

As has been my habit these many years, I take my pen in hand to
make my monthly report concerning the happenings and the events of
the past month. Most times there isn't many of either outside the
regular accounts which, praises be, ain't never got snarled up none
since I've had the handling of them.

As to the past three weeks considerable has took place in this
quiet, peaceful (most times, at least) home, and I ain't quite sure
where I stand at, or am likely to. Things seem sort of stirred
round. Like enough we-all are old-fashioned and considerable sot in
our ways and can't rightly get used to new-fangled ones. Then, too,
we--I speak for everybody--find it kinder hard to take our orders
from anybody but Miss Peggy, who has got the right to give them,
which we can't just see that anybody else _has got_. Howsoever,
some folks seem to think they have, and what I am trying to get at
is, _have they_? If I have got to take them from other folks, why,
of course I have got to, but it has got to be _you_ that tells me I
must.

Up to the present time I seem to have been pretty capable of
running things down here, though I am free to confess I was right
glad when Mrs. Harold come along as she done, to give me a hint or
two where Miss Peggy was concerned, for that child had taken to
growing up in a way that was fair taking the breath out of my body,
and was a-getting clear beyond _me