She would have been glad to keep her brother with her in the East, for she was very fond of him already. But Theodore's thoughts were set on Sunnyside. He had immediately written to Mr. Bronson, making an offer for the farm, having money enough as his share of his grandmother's legacy to make a first payment on the place. And, in time, Sunnyside Farm became Ted Cheltenham's property. The two young fellows returned to Pringleton after New Year's to take up their work. Hiram's contract with Mr. Bronson had still some months to run, and it was arranged that he should put in the corn crop and continue a personal oversight of the farm until after wheat harvest. For Hiram had a stake in that wheat crop; and while he was making arrangements for his own great venture, the particulars of which will be related in "Hiram in the Great Northwest," he intended to keep a sharp eye on Yancey Battick's famous wheat. That winter, whenever it was open weather, both Hiram and Battick searched the fields for the pest that had attacked the Staff of Life Wheat during the previous season. Some of the farmers around the Banks place had their grain well-nigh eaten up by the pest, but none appeared again on Sunnyside. There was no danger of Adam Banks spreading the grain louse to other fields, if he had been guilty of it before, for Banks had finally come to the attention of the police and had been put in jail. "And the right place for him," declared Miss Pringle. "He has made trouble enough about here." Miss Pringle's own interest in the new wheat was abiding since she had helped in its sale during the summer. And by this time she showed an inordinate interest in everything belonging to Yancey Battick. The latter had "spruced up," as Hiram called it, a good deal of late. He was no longer playing the hermit. His success with the Staff of Life Wheat made him forget his failure with the Mortgage Lifter Oats, and really made a new man of Yancey Battick. "And mark my words," Ted Cheltenham said, laughing, when Hiram said this, "that new man is looking for a new woman. I can't go over to Delia's in the evening without finding Yancey Battick occupying her best rocker. I don't know but Abigail will leave Miss Pringle flat. She still believes Battick has the evil eye." This winter did not pass without Hiram being invited to one of Lettie Bronson's parties. This time the young girl saw to it that Ted was asked too, for she rode up to Sunnyside herself to deliver the invitation to the social function by word of mouth. Of course they agreed to go. Hiram would not have hurt Lettie's feelings for anything, and she was much in earnest. As for Ted, he seemed to have prepared for this very occasion while he was East.