day," said Mrs.
Durant, "and I finally compromised by letting Sylvia read the whole
story aloud, so we know just what happened and how one of you evened the
score at the crucial moment and how the other fellow carried the ball
across at the end of the game."

Almost before Teeny-bits realized it he was talking to these two
pleasant persons as if he had known them all his life.

"I want you to act just as if this were your own home," said Mrs. Durant
when she had led the way into the Durant house on Bennington Street. "I
shall have to call you Teeny-bits--and I hope you won't mind--because
Neil has always spoken of you that way in his letters and 'Mr. Holbrook'
_would_ sound formal, wouldn't it?"

"It would make me feel like a stick of wood," said Teeny-bits. "I don't
think any one ever called me that in my life. I've just been Teeny-bits
and I guess I always shall be."

But Teeny-bits Holbrook could not help contrasting this luxurious home
where every reasonable comfort was in evidence, where there were
fireplaces and soft rugs and rich paintings, with his own poor little
home in Hamilton where Ma Holbrook did the work and with her own hands
kept everything shining and clean.

For six days he lived a life that he had never lived before. They skated
at the country club where the new ice had formed over an artificial
pond, drove out in the car over frozen roads to Waygonack Inn for dinner
and danced in the evening, went to the theater and "took in", as Sylvia
called it, two or three parties that were important incidents of the
holiday festivities at Dellsport. Everywhere they encountered jolly
crowds of young fellows and girls.

"Every one seems to fall for you, Teeny-bits," said Neil to the new
captain of the Ridgley team one day, "and they all call you by your
nickname. If you stayed round here very long you'd have them all wearing
a path to our front door."

"You know why it is," replied Teeny-bits, "it's because I'm a friend of
_yours_."

"You're off the track," said Neil, "you're _wild_, man. You've got a way
with you without knowing it, and as for the girls around here--oh, my
heavens!"

"I never realized before what an awful kidder you are, but anyhow I know
I'm having the time of my life," said Teeny-bits.

But in spite of the gayety, Teeny-bits thought often of Ma Holbrook and
old Dad Holbrook who for the first time in many years were spending
Christmas alone. Early in the week he went down to the De