fulness had led him into a
glaring indelicacy towards the master, hurriedly added: "I mean, sir,
that mebbee it's Uncle Ben he's jealous of, now that he's got rich
enough for Cressy to hev him, and knowin' he comes to school in the
afternoon perhaps"--

"'Tain't either!" broke in Johnny promptly. "Theth's over ther beyond
the thchool, and Crethy's eatin' ithecream at the bakerth with Uncle
Ben."

"Well, suppose she is, Seth don't know it, silly!" answered Rupert,
sharply. Then more politely to the master: "That's it! Seth has seen
Uncle Ben gallivanting with Cressy and thinks he's bringing her over
yer. Don't you see?"

The master however did not see but one thing. The girl who had only two
days ago carelessly left it to him to explain a compromising situation
to her mother--this girl who had precipitated him into a frontier fight
to the peril of his position and her good name, was calmly eating ices
with an available suitor without the least concern of the past! The
connection was perhaps illogical, but it was unpleasant. It was the more
awkward from the fact that he fancied that not only Rupert's beautiful
eyes, but even the infant Johnny's round ones, were fixed upon him with
an embarrassed expression of hesitating and foreboding sympathy.

"I think Johnny believes what he says--don't you, Johnny?" he smiled
with an assumption of cheerful ease, "but I see no necessity just yet
for binding Seth Davis over to keep the peace. Tell me about yourself,
Rupe. I hope Uncle Ben doesn't think of changing his young tutor with
his good fortune?"

"No, sir," returned Rupert brightening; "he promises to take me to
Sacramento with him as his private secretary or confidential clerk, you
know, ef--ef"--he hesitated again with very un-Rupert-like caution,
"ef things go as he wants 'em." He stopped awkwardly and his brown
eyes became clouded. "Like ez not, Mr. Ford, he's only foolin'
me--and--HIMSELF." The boy's eyes sought the master's curiously.

"I don't know about that," returned Mr. Ford uneasily, with a certain
recollection of Uncle Ben's triumph over his own incredulity; "he
surely hasn't shown himself a fool or a boaster so far. I consider your
prospect a very fair one, and I wish you joy of it, my boy." He ran his
fingers through Rupert's curls in his old caressing fashion, the more
tenderly perhaps that he fancied he still saw symptoms of stormy and wet
weather in the boy's brown eyes. "Run along home, both of you, and