erself a youth of precious qualities and great
promise, and asked,--

"Where is Radcliff now?"

"He is not with us just at present. He is of age, and his own master;
and though we make a home for him, he's away a good deal."

"What is his business?"

"He has no fixed pursuit. He is, in short, a gentleman at large."

"What supports him?"

"He receives a limited allowance from our relatives on the Betterson
side," said Caroline, pleased with the interest her sister seemed to
take in the illustrious youth. "He is not so stylish a man as my
husband, by any means; my husband is a Betterson of the Bettersons. But
Radcliff has _the blood_, and is _very_ aristocratic in his tastes."

Caroline enlarged upon this delightful theme, until Cecie (who seemed to
weary of it) exclaimed,--

"O mother, do see how Aunt Vinnie soothes the baby!"

Indeed, it seemed as if the puny thing must have felt the flood of
warmth and love from Vinnie's heart bathing its little life.

That afternoon Rufe and Wad sawed and split the wood, and Link (with
Chokie's powerful assistance) carried it into an unfinished room behind
the kitchen,--sometimes called the "back-room," and sometimes the
"lumber-room,"--and corded it up against the wall. An imposing pile it
was, of which the young architect was justly proud, no such sight ever
having been seen in that house before.

[Illustration: LINK'S WOOD-PILE.]

Every ten or fifteen minutes he called Vinnie or Lill to see how the
pile grew; and at last he insisted on bringing Cecie, and letting her be
astonished.

Cecie was only too glad of any little diversion. She could walk with a
good deal of assistance; Vinnie almost lifted the poor girl in her
loving arms; Link supported her on the other side; and so they bore her
to the back-room, where she leaned affectionately on Vinnie, while Link
stood aside and pointed proudly at his wood-pile.

"We never could get him to bring in a stick of wood before, without
teasing or scolding him," said Lill.

"This is different; there's some fun in this," said Link. "Rufe and Wad
have been at work like sixty; and we wanted to see how big a pile we
could make."

All praised the performance; and Mrs. Betterson so far forgot herself as
to say she felt rich now, with so much nice, dry, split wood in the
house.

"But what a remark," she added immediately, turning to Vinnie, "for one
of _our_ family to make!"

"I was never so proud of my brothers!" said Cecie.