houted Harris; "don't you want it?"

"Give it to the old woman--you swindler!" snarled Spink.

And then the crowd roared! The humor of the thing struck them and it was
half an hour before the auctioneer could go on with the sale.

"No; I did not know the bills were there," Harris avowed. "But I thought
the professor was so avaricious that he could be made to bid up the old
desk. Had he bid on it when it was put up by the auctioneer, however, Mrs.
Harrison would not have benefited. You see, the best the auctioneer can
do, what he gets from the sale will not entirely satisfy Spink's claim.
But the money-grabber can't touch that fifty dollars in good money he paid
over to Mrs. Harrison with his own hands."

"Oh, it was splendid, Harris!" gasped Lyddy, seizing both his hands. Then
she retired suddenly to Mrs. Harrison's side and never said another word
to the young man.

"Gee, cracky!" said Lucas, with a sigh. "I was scairt stiff when I seen
them bills fall out of the old desk. I thought sure they were good."

"I confess I knew what they were immediately--and so did Spink," replied
Harris.

The young folks had got enough of the vendue now, and so had Mrs.
Pritchett. Lucas agreed to come up with the farm wagon for the pieces of
furniture with which Harris had presented the Widow Harrison--including
the broken desk--and transport them and the widow herself to Hillcrest
before night.

Mrs. Pritchett was enthusiastic over the girls taking Mrs. Harrison to
the farm, and she could not say enough in praise of it. So Lyddy was glad
to get out of the buckboard with Harris Colesworth at the bottom of the
lane.

"You all talk too much about it, Mrs. Pritchett!" she cried, when bidding
the farmer's wife good-bye. "But I'd be glad to have you come up here as
often as you can--and talk on any other subject!" and she ran laughing
into the house.

Lyddy feared that Professor Spink would make trouble. At least, he and
Harris Colesworth must be at swords' point. And she was sorry now that
she had so impulsively given the young chemist her commendation for what
he had done for the Widow Harrison.

However, Harris went off at noon, walking to town to take the afternoon
train to the city; and as the professor did not show up again until
nightfall there was no friction that day at Hillcrest--nor for the rest of
the week.

Mrs. Harrison came and got into the work "two-fisted," as she said
herself. She was a strong old woman, and ha