ife. And why shouldn't you? Why, Uncle Hughie says
it's one of his greatest blessings. When he gets tired or racked with
pain, he just pretends he's a chieftain of the Clan Cameron, living on
his estates, and he says he's far happier than if he really were."

Miss Arabella smiled almost tearfully. It was the first time in her
life she had heard her romantic day-dreaming condoned.

"Now I must run, Arabella. Good-by, Polly. Are you good to-day?"

"Oh, Annie Laurie, Annie Laurie," cried Polly, "I'll be good, I'll be
good!"

Miss Arabella stood gazing after the trim figure. She sighed
enviously. "She's the lucky girl," she whispered, "but it's awful
queer she don't want to go on with her singin'."

A smart vehicle turned out of a gate farther up the street and came
whizzing past. The young man driving raised his hat with an air of
deference as he passed the girl by the roadside. Miss Arabella leaned
farther over the gate.

"He looked at her awful pleased like," she said; and then her face grew
pale with a sudden thought. "I'll give it to her," she whispered,
choking down a rising sob. "He'll marry her, I'm sure he will, and if
he does I'll give it to her, and I won't be foolish any more, so I
won't." The prospect of speedy wisdom seemed a very doleful one, and
Miss Arabella's figure drooped and shrank as she moved indoors.

"Arabella!" called a sharp voice over the fence, "have you got your
place all red up yet?"

"Not quite, Susan," was the apologetic answer. "I've jist to do the
back stoop."

"Well, don't be so long, for pity's sakes. I'm goin' up to see what
sort of a baby Jake and Hannah's got, and you can come along jist as
soon as you're done."

"All right, Susan." The little woman returned to her task meekly. Her
small, slim hands and her frail body did not look at all suited to
heavy toil, yet no one in the village worked harder than the little
lilac lady. For when her own house was set in order, and brushed and
swept and scrubbed, exactly as Susan demanded, Miss Arabella crossed
the orchard and washed and baked, and sewed for her brother's children.

She had just finished the lowest step of the porch when she was
startled by a tremendous uproar in the Sawyer orchard, and the next
moment something came hurtling over the fence and landed with a splash
in the pail at her feet. It was a round object, brightly colored and
shining.

"Oh, Lordy, ain't we havin' a slow time!" screamed Pol