"If I had my way," he declared, "you'd go straight back to that school
and stay there long's we could rake or scrape enough together to keep
you there. And I know Zoeth feels the same."

"I sartin do," agreed Zoeth.

Mary laughed softly. "But you haven't your way, you see," she said. "You
have had it for ever so long and now I am going to have mine. Your new
silent partner is going to begin to boss you."

For the first time since he entered the door of his store that night--or
morning--Shadrach smiled. It wasn't a broad smile nor a very gay one,
but it was a smile.

"Um--ya-as," he drawled. "I want to know, Mary-'Gusta! I am gettin' some
along in years, but my memory ain't failed much. If I could remember any
day or hour or minute since Zoeth and me h'isted you into the old buggy
to drive you from Ostable here--if I could remember a minute of that
time when you HADN'T bossed us, I--well, I'd put it down in the log with
a red ink circle around it. No, sir-ee! You've been OUR skipper from the
start."

Even Zoeth smiled now and Mary laughed aloud.

"But you haven't objected; you haven't minded being--what shall I call
it?--skipped--by me, have you?" she asked.

The Captain grinned. "Mind it!" he exclaimed. "Umph! The only time when
we really minded it was these last two years when we ain't had it. We