than she would absolutely need.

"You ought to look out, Harry and Kate," said Harvey Davis, "that all
the darkies she knows don't come and settle down on her and live off
her. She's a great old woman for having people around her, even now."

"Well," said Kate, "she has a right to have company if she wants to, and
can afford it."

"Yes," said Tom Selden; "but having company's very different from having
a lot of good-for-nothing darkies eating her out of house and home."

"She won't have anything of that sort," said Harry. "I'll see that her
money's spent right."

"But if it's her money," said Harvey, "she can spend it as she chooses."

A discussion here followed as to the kind of influence that ought to be
brought to bear upon Aunt Matilda to induce her to make a judicious use
of her income; but Harry soon interrupted the arguments, with the remark
that they had better not bother themselves about what Aunt Matilda
should do with her money when she got it, until they had found out some
way of preventing her from starving to death while she was waiting for
it.

This was evidently good common sense, but it put a damper on the spirits
of the Board.

There was nothing new to be said on the main question, and it was now
growing toward supper-time; so the meeting adjourned.