andy, what you promised!"

"All right. Driver, we'll stop at the first confectioner's we pass and
I'll fill them up."

"But, Herbert, you should not. Don't you remember how ill they were
from Molly's supply? And I do say, if you led them into this scrape,
getting themselves in such a mess, you'll have to ride in front and
keep them with you."

Herbert made a wry face. He was always extremely careful in his dress
and his sister's just suggestion wasn't pleasant. However, he made the
best of it and no further untoward incident marked that day's outing.

Arrived at home they found Jane calmly reading, as has been told, and
no other one about except old Ephraim, who had not unfastened the
doors for "jes one l'il gal," but now threw them wide for the "House
Party." Then he retreated to the kitchen, where Dorothy found him
stirring about in a vain attempt to get supper--a function out of his
line.

"Now, Ephy, dear, you can't do that, you know! You're a blessed old
blunderer, but one doesn't boil water for tea in a leaky coffee-pot!
Wait! I'll tell you! I'll call the girls and we'll make a 'bee' of it
and get the supper ourselves, before Aunt Malinda and Dinah and the
rest get back. They'll be sure to stay till the last----"

"Till the 'last man is hung'!" finished Alfaretta, with prompt
inelegance.

"Oh! I'm just starving!" wailed a boyish voice, and Monty rushed in.

"So are we all, so are we all!" cried others and the kitchen rang with
the youthful, merry voices.

Ephraim scratched his gray wool and tried to look stern, but Dorothy's
"Ephy, dear!" had gone straight to his simple heart, so lately wounded
and sorrowful. After all, the world wasn't such a dark place, even if
he had missed the circus, now that all these chatterers were treating
him just as of old. They were so happy, themselves, that their
happiness overflowed upon him.

Cried Jim Barlow, laying a friendly hand on the black man's shoulder:

"Come on, Ephy, boy! If the girls are going to make a 'bee,' and get
supper for all hands--including the cook--let's match them by doing
the chores for the men. The 'help' have done a lot for us, these days,
and it's fair we do a hand's-turn for them now! Come on, all! Monty,
you shall throw down fodder for the cattle--it's all you're equal to.
Some of us will milk, some take care of the horses, everybody must do
something, and I appoint Danny Smith to be story-teller-in-chief, and
describe that circus so plai