els of his coat, and drew herself up on tiptoes, trying to meet his
eyes.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" she cried.

"No, I'm not!" he growled.

But he was, or at least was dimly conscious of his egregious
misbehavior; for he looked neither at Hillyer nor his wife, and was
red now where he had been purple.

"But you are, though!" She turned her face toward Hillyer, without
loosing her hold on Seth's coat. "Don't you mind him, Mr. Hillyer!
He's just a big bear. And Haig has been a trial to us. Marion's my
guest, and--" She looked up into Seth's beard again--"If you think
you're going to send her away like this--"

She stopped short, as on a sudden thought, and then, with a giggle,
buried her face in his flannel shirt. And the next thing, as
unexpected as her blue-eyed rage, she dropped her hands from his coat,
stooped to catch up the hem of her skirt between thumb and forefinger
of each hand, and began to pirouette around the room.

"Oh, ho!" she exclaimed, laughing triumphantly, her little body
swaying as she tripped, with low curtsies to Seth and Hillyer, who for
the moment forget their animosity in wonder at this feminine
diversion. "Beautiful! Gorgeous! Oh, splendid!"

She stopped, at length, in front of Seth, dropped to one knee, bowed
till her golden head almost touched the floor, and rose again to stand
with her hands on her hips, her arms akimbo, her face flushed with
excitement.

"Seth Huntington!" she cried ecstatically. "Do you know what we're
going to do?"

He merely stared.

"We're going to heap coals of fire on his head."

"What do you mean?" demanded Huntington uneasily.

"Marion's going to nurse Haig. There's no way any of us can stop her.
She's our cousin and guest, and we've got to show it. If they want to
talk, we'll give them something to talk about. _I'll go and nurse Haig
too!_"

Dead silence.

"Ah!" cried Hillyer.

"You'll not!" roared Huntington.

"Watch me!" retorted Claire, turning swiftly, and running toward her
bedroom. But halfway there she stopped. "No, don't watch me! You just
go and look after the cattle. Leave this Mr. Haig to us, and he'll be
the best friend you ever had before Marion and I get through with
him."

Hillyer, recovering from his amazement, stepped smiling to where she
stood, and reached both his hands to her.

"Mrs. Huntington," he said warmly. "You're a peach!"

She laughed gaily, and put both her tiny hands in his, for just an
instant.

T