e of it with me."

"With you where?" demanded Roger.

"To New York. Do you suppose even Mr. Godfrey Vandeford would undertake
to produce a play without the author there to help him?" Patricia's
scorn of Roger's lack of sound reasoning about theatrical matters was
hurled at him pitilessly.

"Of course not," admitted Roger hurriedly. "You can take the whole two
hundred and fifty and I'll look after the Major and Jeff."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Roger," said Patricia, as she
cuddled her cheek for an instant against his strong, warm shoulder under
the gingham shirt. "I'm afraid of New York. I know you'll take care of
Grandfather; but who'll look after little me--I don't know what I'll do
all by myself. Maybe I won't have to--"

"Certainly you'll have to go," Roger interrupted with comforting
assurance. "Go to the Young Women's Christian Association, and if
anything happens to you telegraph me and I'll come get you."

"I hadn't thought of the Y. W. C. A. Of course I'll be all right there.
I'll get Miss Elvira to write a special letter to the secretary about
me," exclaimed Patricia with the joy lights back in the great, gray
eyes. "And it's so cheap there that I can leave a lot of the money at
home. I'll only be gone about six weeks."

"No, I think you had better take all the two fifty with you," said
Roger. "You know you have to spend money to make money and you mustn't
be short. I'll look after the Major and Jeff. Don't you worry, dear."

"Will you let me buy you a big silo and a tractor plow when I get all
the money? You are the greatest farmer in the world and you only need a
little machinery to prove it." Again the young playwright rose to her
knees and with letter and sugar in her embrace she entreated to be
allowed to spend the money that was to be hers from "The Renunciation of
Rosalind," which she did not know was being cast in New York as "The
Purple Slipper."

"Certainly I'll let you help me, Pat. Hasn't what's yours and mine
always been ours since we set our first hen together?" laughed Roger, as
he rose to his feet and dragged Patricia to hers beside him. "Come on
and let's break it to the Major. You may need me to stand by if it hits
him on the bias," and they both laughed with a tinge of uneasiness as
they went down the long walk of the garden which on both sides was
sprouting and leaving and perfuming in a medley of flowers and
vegetables.

As they walked slowly along Roger cast an ey