"A receipt. Gail says we should never settle a bill without getting a receipt." "What do you want of a receipt?" "So's I can show Gail that this bill is settled." "Aha!" he mocked. "You are afraid Gail will repent and give you another thrashing, are you?" "No, I'm not! But I want to be sure you don't try to c'llect twice." He stared at her open-mouthed, too hurt for words; and she, unaware that she had deeply offended him, urged impatiently, as she rubbed her smarting shoulders, "Hurry up! Write it on a piece of paper, so's I can have it to keep always. Haven't you got any in your pocket?" Mechanically he searched his pockets, drew forth a scrap of an envelope, wrote the receipt she demanded, and handed it to her gravely. She accepted it as gravely, spelled it through, and turned to go, saying piously, "Thank you, Mr. Hardman. I hope you will get your reward in heaven." She meant this in all reverence, thinking only of the receipt he had given her, but he thought she was sarcastically referring to the whipping she had suffered at his hands; and with a queer tightening of his throat, he returned to his work, while she hurried homeward with her precious bit of paper. "Here is Mr. Hardman's receipt, Gail," she announced, briefly, entering the kitchen where the two older girls were still discussing the new problem. "Where did you get the money!" asked Faith severely. "I took the licking," was the short answer. "Took the licking! From whom!" "Mr. Hardman." "Do you mean to say that Mr. Hardman whipped you!" "Yes, I do. I went over and told him to." "Did it hurt?" whispered Allee, with eyes brimming full of sympathy. "It might have been worse, s'posing he had used a piece of iron instead of a stick." Profound silence reigned in the little room. Then Gail said abruptly, "Come upstairs with me. I want to see you alone." Peace glanced apprehensively at the pale face, which looked unusually stern and severe, and said, "That is a sure-enough receipt, but if you don't b'lieve it, you can ask Mr. Hardman about it." "I am not doubting your story in the least," answered the big sister, smiling in spite of herself, "but I want to talk to you, dear." When Gail said "dear," she was never angry, so, without further hesitation, Peace followed her to the small room under the eaves, wondering what was coming next. Gail seated herself in the rickety chair by the window, and drawing the small girl down into her lap, she asked, "Now what is all this trouble about? Tell sister everything." So Peace related the story of the raspberries and her anger at their neighbor, which had led to the painting of the barn. "What did you write on the building?" questioned Gail when Peace paused at this point in her recital. "Just the truth. I said, 'Mr. Hardman isn't square.' Then, so's he would know what he wasn't square about, I made a lot of raspberries under the printing."