u're
heading. But suppose you come and visit me instead. Really, as part
landlords, you should be looking into the condition of your rentable
property."

She turned briskly to the left down the lane on which were located the
slave cabins and guided the Ralestones along a brick-paved path into a
clearing where stood a small house of typical plantation style. The
lower story was of stone with steep steps leading to a balcony which ran
completely around the second floor of the house.

As they reached the balcony she pulled off her hat and threw it in the
general direction of a cane settee. Without that wreck of a hat, with
the curls of her long bob flowing free, she looked years younger.

"Make yourselves thoroughly at home. After all, this is your house, you
know."

"But we didn't," protested Ricky. "Mr. LeFleur didn't tell us a thing
about you."

"Perhaps he didn't know." Charity Biglow was pinning back her curls. "I
rented from Harrison."

"Like the bathroom," Val murmured and looked up to find them staring at
him. "Oh, I just meant that you were another improvement that he had
installed," he stammered. Miss Biglow nodded in a satisfied sort of way.
"Spoken like a true southern gentleman, though I don't think in the old
days that bathrooms would have crept into a compliment paid to a lady.
Now I did have some lemonade--if you will excuse me," and she was gone
into the house.

Ricky smiled. "I like our tenant," she said softly.

"You don't expect me to disagree with that, do you?" her brother had
just time enough to ask before their hostess appeared again complete
with tray, glasses, and a filled pitcher which gave forth the refreshing
sound of clinking ice. And after her paraded an old friend of theirs,
tail proudly erect. "There's our cat!" cried Ricky.

Val snapped his fingers. "Here, Satan."

After staring round-eyed at both of them, the cat crossed casually to
the settee and proceeded to sharpen his claws.

"Well, I like that! After I shared my bed with the brute, even though I
didn't know it until the next morning," Val exploded.

"Why, where did you meet Cinders?" asked Miss Biglow as she put down the
tray.

"He came to us the first night we were at Pirate's Haven," explained
Ricky. "I thought he was a ghost or something when he scratched at the
back door."

"So that's where he was. He used to go over to the Harrisons' for meals
a lot. When I'm working I don't keep very regular hours and he does