cited, probably, by the thought of the "jolly fun"
which he and Douglas could extract from the old man while piloting him
about the city.

"I certainly do not intend to bring the old people to your house, Amy,"
said uncle Rutherford; "but your aunt is anxious that Mrs. Yorke should
see some good physician, who may be able to relieve her from her
lameness before she is entirely crippled; and we shall therefore
propose that they come to the city after we are fairly settled there,
when we will provide comfortable quarters for them, and put Mrs. Yorke
under proper treatment. There is a fitness to all things, my child; and
Captain and Mrs. Yorke would probably feel as much embarrassed as your
guests, as we should be in having them with us."

"I was only thinking----" I began, then stopped.

"You were only thinking that your quixotic old uncle was about to
inflict a somewhat trying experience upon you," said uncle Rutherford,
in answer to the unspoken thought. "But he has a _modicum_ of sense
left yet, Amy."

Truth would not allow me to enter a disclaimer, for this had been my
very thought. Any slight embarrassment which I might have felt,
however, was relieved by a little diversion in my favor, as uncle
Rutherford said,--

"Here is Fred Winston coming over from the hotel."

"Yes, he is generally coming over, and never going back," said Norman,
with what I chose to consider a saucy glance in my direction; but I
ignored both speech and glance, as I welcomed the new-comer.

Now be it understood, that this young man was neither a gossip nor
news-monger; but, being at present a resident of the largest hotel in
the place, he was, from the force of circumstances, apt to be the
hearer of various items of interest, and these, for reasons which
seemed good to himself, he usually considered it necessary to bring
over to the homestead as soon as possible after they came to his
knowledge. Indeed, our boys basely slandered him, by crediting him with
the invention of sundry small fictions as an excuse for coming over to
our house. Nevertheless, he was always a welcome guest with each one
and all of the family, and with none more than with these saucy boys.

"Mr. Rutherford," he said now, when he had settled himself in such
comfort as he might upon the next lowest step to that on which I was
seated, and addressing himself to my uncle, who, by virtue of his
interest in, and proprietorship of, a great portion of the Point, was
regar