and gravely laid a muscular boy's
hand in his father's.

"I'll stand by you, sir," he said.

Nobody laughed. Charlotte's black bow twitched and a queer sound burst
from the shoulder where her head was buried. Jeff's thick black lashes
went down for a moment; Celia shook two bright drops from brimming eyes
and patted Just's sturdy shoulder. Mr. Birch shook the hand vigorously
without speaking, and only Lansing found words to express what they
felt.

"He speaks for us all, I know, sir. And now if you'll tell us our part
we'll take hold. I think I know what it means. Trips to New Mexico, from
New York, are expensive."

"They are very expensive," Mr. Birch replied, slowly. "I must go with
her. We must travel in the least fatiguing fashion, which means
state-rooms on trains and many extras by the way. She has kept up
bravely, but this unusual exhaustion after one day in town shows me how
careful I must be of her on the long journey. Then, once away, no
expense must be spared to make the absence tell for all there is in it.
And most of all to be considered, while I am away there will be--no
income."

They looked at each other now, Celia at Lansing, and Lansing at Jeff,
and Jeff at both of them. Charlotte sat up suddenly, her cheeks and eyes
burning, and stared hard at each in turn.

The income would stop. And what would that mean? The family had within
three years suffered heavy financial losses from causes outside of their
control, and the father's income, that of attorney-at-law in a large
suburban town, had since become the only source of support. So far it
had sufficed, although Charlotte and Celia had been sent away to school,
and both Celia and Lansing were now in college.

It was the remembrance of these heavy demands upon the family purse
which now caused the young people to look at one another with startled
questioning. Lansing was about to begin his senior year at a great
university; Celia had finished her first year at a famous women's
college. Within a fortnight both were expecting to begin work.

Charlotte did not care about a college course, but she had planned for
two years to go to a school of design, for she was a promising young
worker in things decorative. As for Jefferson, sixteen years old,
captain of the high-school football team, six feet tall, and able to
give his brother Lansing a hard battle for physical supremacy, his
dearest dream was a great military school. Even Justin--but Justin was