the youth, and he roused himself from
his abstraction long enough to question
his girl:

"He is a worthy young man, my
Philippa. Why do you dislike him?"

"I do not dislike him."

"Then why --?" her father pro-
tested.

But Philly was silent.

Even Hannah came to the rescue:

"You'll get a crooked stick at the
end, if you don't look out!"

Philly laughed; then her face fell.
"I sha'n't have any stick, ever!"

And Hannah, in her concern, confided
her forebodings about the stick
to Dr. King.

"I wonder," William said to himself,
uneasily, "if I was wise to tell that child
to hold her tongue? Perhaps they might
have straightened it out between 'em