so had a big piece of juicy rhubarb pie not yet
entirely cold. If that didn't wipe out the trouble I had made showing
the old crest thing, nothing ever could. I knew even then, that men
were pretty hard to satisfy, but I was quite certain that Laddie would
be satisfied that morning. As I hurried along I wondered whether it
would be better to give him my gift first, or the Princess'. I decided
that joy would keep, while the pie was cold enough, with all the time I
had stopped; and if I told him about her first, maybe he wouldn't touch
it at all, and it wasn't so easy as it looked to carry it to him and
never even once stick in my finger for the tiniest lick--joy would
keep; but I was going to feed him; so with shining face, I offered the
pie and stood back to see just how happy I could get.

"Mother send it?" asked Laddie.

People were curious that morning, as if I had a habit of stealing pie.
I only took pieces of cut ones from the cellar when mother didn't care.
So I explained again that Candace gave it to me, and I was free to
bring it.

"Oh I see!" said Laddie.

After nearly two weeks of work, the grays had sobered down enough to
stand without tying; so he wound the lines around the plow handle, sat
on the beam, and laid aside his hat, having a fresh flower in the band.
Once he started a thing, he just simply wouldn't give up. He
unbuttoned his neckband until I could see his throat where it was white
like a woman's, took out his knife and ate that pie. Of course we knew
better than to use a knife at the table, but there was no other way in
the field. He ate that pie, slowly and deliberately, and between bites
he talked. I watched him with a wide grin, wondering what in this
world he WOULD say, in a minute. I don't think I ever had quite such a
good time in all my life before, and I never expect to again. He was
saying: "Talk about nectar and ambrosia! Talk about the feasts of
Lucullus! Talk about food for the Gods!"

I put on his hat, sat on the ground in front of him, and was the
happiest girl in the world, of that I am quite sure. When the last
morsel was finished, Laddie looked at me steadily.

"I wonder," he said, "I wonder if there's another man in the world who
is blest with quite such a loving, unselfish little sister as mine?"
Then he answered himself: "No! By all the Gods, ant half-Gods, I
swear it--No!"

It was grand as a Fourth of July oration or the most exciting part when
the Bis