features. Her eyes had a placid
expression, and her voice had become that of a child who loves to be led
and petted. She smiled on recognizing the unexpected visitor, and gave
him a seat in the cabin.

"I didn't expect to see you out this way," she said. "Joel told me a
couple of weeks ago that you'd gone off somewhere."

He nodded. It was difficult to introduce the topic on his mind, and he
chatted with her about the land in the neighborhood, Joel's prospective
crop, and the fear some of the farmers had of a harmful drought if rain
did not fall within a week or so. He had not been able to come to the
matter in hand when a sound outside was heard.

"Grandmother Trott," a small voice piped up, "sister won't come on. She
keeps stopping and picking flowers and leaves."

Mrs. Trott laughed, and her face beamed. "It is Joel's children," she
explained. "The little darlings come with milk for me every bright day.
Tilly sends it."

Rising, she stood in the doorway. "Come on; but, no, Joie, don't pull
her hand so hard! You might jerk her little arm out of joint. Come on by
yourself. She will come when she feels like it."

The boy soon appeared with the pail of milk and set it in the door.
"Mother said tell you she'd have some fresh butter for you in the
morning and some eggs. The hens have started again. Tilly and I found
six eggs in the hay last night. Grandmother, where are the kittens?"

"Right around behind the cabin, dearie," Mrs. Trott answered, taking the
pail. "The mother-cat is nursing them in the sun. Show them to your
little sister. You may have them when they are larger."

Cavanaugh heard the children as they went behind the house and bent over
the cat and kittens. He heard them uttering endearing words to the
animals. "Don't, don't, you little stupid!" Joel cried. "She may scratch
you! Don't you see her claws?"

Mrs. Trott laughed softly as she emptied the pail and washed it out.

"They are the sweetest children in the world," she said to Cavanaugh, as
she put the pail on the door-step and sat down again. "They stayed with
me a week last month when Joel and Tilly went to camp-meeting over the
mountain. They were not one bit of trouble, and, oh, I did love to have
them about! I never let on to Tilly and Joel, but when they took the
darlings away I was awfully blue. Short as the time was, you see, I got
accustomed to them."

The children had gone home and still Cavanaugh had not reached the
object of his