her pretty way. "You are as young as the best of 'em yet."

"Employers don't look at me through your pretty eyes, Momsey," he
returned, laughing.

"Well," said his wife, still cheerfully, "my fishing seems to be
resultless yet. Perhaps the bait's gone off the hook. Had I
better haul in the line and bait again? I was always doing that
when I went fishing with Adair and his brothers, years ago, when
I was a little girl."

Her husband shook his head. "Have patience, Jessie," he said.

He had few expectations from the Memphis letter; yet there was a
most surprising result from it on the way, something which by no
possibility could the little family in the Amity Street cottage
have suspected.

Chapter IV
SWEEPING CLEAN

"My goodness me!" ejaculated Bess Harley. "Talk about the
'leaden wings of Time.' Why! Time sweeps by us on electrically-
driven, ball-bearing pinions. Here's another week gone, Nan, and
tomorrow's Saturday."

"Yes," Nan agreed. "Time flies all too quickly, for me, anyway.
The mills have been closed a week now."

"Oh, dear! That's all I hear," complained Bess. "Those tiresome