ot to give her up? Are you
sure it has come to that, Allison? It seems perfectly preposterous!"

"Well, you know if she cares for him," said Allison gravely, "we've no
right to hold on to her and spoil her life. You know it was different
when it was old Pill Bowman. This is a real man."

"Care for him! How _could_ she possibly care for him?" snapped Leslie.
"Why, he has a wart on his nose, and he snuffs! I never thought of it
before till last night, but he does; he snuffs every little while!
Ugh!"

"Why, I thought you liked him, Leslie!"

"So I did until I thought he wanted Cloudy, but I can't see that! I
hate him. I always thought he was about the nicest man in the faculty
except the dean, and he's married; but since I got onto the idea that
he wants Cloudy I can't bear the sight of him. I went way round the
block to-day to keep from meeting him. He isn't nice enough for
Cloudy, Allison."

"What's the matter with him? Warts and snuffing don't count if you
love a person. I like him. I like him ever so much, and I think he's
lonesome. He'd appreciate a home like ours. You know what a wonderful
wife Cloudy would make."

Leslie fairly screamed.

"O Allison! To think you have come to it that you're _willing_ to give
up our lovely home, and have Cloudy go off, and we go the dear knows
where, and have to board at the college or something."

"Some day we'll be getting married, too, I suppose," said Allison
speculatively.

His sister flashed a wise, curious look up at him, and studied his
face a minute. Then a shade came over her own once more.

"Yes, I s'pose _you_ will, pretty soon. You're almost done college.
But poor me! I'll have to board for two whole years more, and I'm not
sure I'll ever get married. The man I like might not like me. And you
may be very sure I'm not going to live on any sister-in-law, no matter
how much I love her, so there!"

Allison smiled, and put his arm protectingly around his sister.

"There, kid, you needn't get excited yet awhile. It's me and thee
always, no matter how many wives I have; and you won't ever have to
board. But, kid, I'm not willing to give up our house and Cloudy and
all; I'm just thinking that maybe we _ought_ to, you know. I guess
we're not pigs, are we? Cloudy has had a mighty hard life, and missed
a lot of things out of it."

"Well, isn't she having 'em now, I'd like to know? I think Cloudy
likes us, and wants to stay with us. I think she's just loved the
hou