ere coming. The agent came out with a handful of papers and stood
waiting with the rest. Stragglers moved quickly, and the discharged
waitress appeared and made eyes covertly at Pink, whom she considered
the handsomest one of the lot.

The train slid up, slowed and stopped. Two coaches beyond the platform a
worried porter descended and placed the box-step for landing passengers,
and waited. From that particular coach began presently to emerge a
fluttering, exclaiming stream of humanity--at first mostly feminine.
They hovered there upon the cindery path and lifted their faces to watch
for others yet to come, and the babble of their voices could be, heard
above the engine sounds.

The Happy Family looked dumbly at one another and drew back closer to
the depot wall.

"Aw, I knowed there was some ketch to it!" blurted Happy Jack with
dismal satisfaction. "That there ain't no colony--It's nothin' but a
bunch of schoolma'ams!"

"That lady ridin' point is the lady herself," Andy murmured, edging
behind Weary and Pink as the flutter came closer. "That's Florence Grace
Hallman, boys."

"Well, by golly, git out and speak your little piece, then!" muttered
Slim, and gave Andy an unexpected push that sent him staggering out into
the open just as the leaders were coming up.

"Why, how de do, Mr. Green!" cried the blonde leader of the flock. "This
is an unexpected pleasure, I'm sure."

"Yes ma'am, it is," Andy assented mildly, with an eye cocked sidewise in
search of the guilty man.

The blonde leader paused, her flock coming to a fluttering, staring
stand behind her. The nostrils of the astonished Happy Family caught a
mingled odor of travel luncheons and perfume.

"Well, where have you been, Mr. Green? Why didn't you come and see me?"
demanded Florence, Grace Hallman in the tone of one who has a right
to ask leading questions. Her cool, brown, calculating eyes went
appraisingly over the Happy Family while she spoke.

"I've been right around here, all the time," Andy gave meek account of
himself. "I've been busy."

"Oh. Did you go over the tract, Mr. Green?" she lowered her voice.

"Yes-s--I went over it."

"And what do you think of it--privately?"

"Privately--it's pretty big." Andy sighed. The bigness of that tract had
worried the Happy Family a good deal.

"Well, the bigger the better. You see I've got 'em started." She
flicked a glance backward at her waiting colony. "You men are perfectly
exasperating! Why d