" said Uncle
Joseph gravely. "Mr. Harding tells us Dr. Morton is anxious to sell the
place, and if Mr. Gassett makes the settlement we hope for, he will
simply pay back the purchase money to Dr. Morton because the place was
never his to sell. He has arranged to meet us tomorrow morning."

It was several years later before Jane was old enough to understand
exactly how the letter she and Gertie had carried to Dick Harding could
work all the wonders it seemed to be responsible for.

Mrs. Morton said it was the work of Providence that this special letter
was preserved and found at just the right time. Uncle Joseph declared
that Alice's asking them to hunt through the old closets had more to do
with it than Providence. But Dick Harding said it wasn't Providence at
all--it was paper dolls and Chicken Little Jane.

"At any rate," he said, "I never heard of Providence making a man turn
green, and Gassett certainly did when I showed him his own writing and
read him about two paragraphs of it. There it was in black and white
that the mortgage on the house had been paid in full, and that the bank
had just returned Mr. Fletcher's stock certificates deposited with them
to secure a firm debt. The letter was jubilant over the business success
that had enabled Fletcher and Gassett to pay up, and Mr. Gassett
declared he was grateful beyond measure to Alice's father for risking
his bank stock for the firm credit. Nice way he took to show his
gratitude, wasn't it?" Dick Harding looked the disgust he could not
express.

Uncle Joseph had been telling the Mortons what happened when Mr. Gassett
met them in Mr. Harding's office.

"Did he show any signs of fight at the start?" inquired Dr. Morton.

"Oh, he tried to bluster for a moment," replied Dick, "but I asked him
'Do we go on with this case in court, Mr. Gassett, or do we not? Yes,
or no?' 'No,' said Mr. Gassett, so we got down to business."

"He was willing to do anything to hush the matter up," added Uncle
Joseph. "It took exactly ten minutes to hand over a check for the money
Dr. Morton paid him for the house, and to give Alice a paper resigning
all claim to the bank stock. I have an idea the old rascal was afraid we
might discover something else he had stolen."

"The Gassetts are going away I understand," said Dr. Morton. "Well, it's
a lucky strike for me to get the money back for the house. I am
delighted, too, that Alice is to have her parent's home. Do you ever
expect to co