us to get it into his
wife's hands that, after turning it over and about, in admiration of
the "true lover's knot" into which Win had folded it, he rose to go
away. All his stiffness was forgotten, he almost neglected to drag his
lame foot, he firmly declined to stay for supper or any ride with the
Oak Knowe team, so completely had the kindness of the three girls
cured him.

"A letter for the Dame! Sure she'll be the proud woman the night, and
maybe she'll think I'd more sense after all. I don't mind she'd ary
letter come before since we was married. Good night, young ladies.
Tell the bit woman 't next time there'll be nuts in me pockets, all
right, and no fear for her o' more snakes. Good-by."

They watched him down the path, fairly strutting in his pride over the
note which a mere whim on Winifred's part had suggested, and Dorothy
exclaimed:

"What a dear, simple old soul he is! That a tiny thing like that could
make so happy. I believe he was more delighted with that half-sheet of
your paper than you are with your father's other half."

Winifred caught the others about the waist and whirled them indoors
again, first gleefully kissing her father's bit of writing and asking:

"Think so? Then he's the gladdest person in the world, to-night.
Oh--ee!"

"Well, Win, you can be glad without squeezing the breath out of a
body, can't you? Heigho, Robin! Where'd you come from?" said Dolly, as
the boy came suddenly upon them from a side hall.

"Why, from the kitchen. The folks there made me eat a lot of good
stuff and a woman--I guess it was the housekeeper--she made me put on
some of the men's clothes while she took my knickers and mended them.
I'd torn them all to flinders on that slide, or old botched up sled,
and she said I was a sight. I was, too. She was awful kind. She made
me tell all about Mother and my getting hurt and everything. But she
said I ought to go right away and find Mr. Gilpin and get friends with
him again. Isn't it funny? He blames _me_ for all that happened and
for teasing him to make that wretched sled, yet, sir, if you'll
believe me he was the one spoke of it first. True! Said he'd never had
a toboggan ride in all his life, long as that was, because he hadn't
anybody to go with him. But 'he'd admire' to have just one before he
died--"

"He had it, didn't he?" laughed Winifred.

"He had a hard time getting Mrs. Gilpin's consent. She treats him as
if he were a little boy, worse'n Mother does m