He dressed himself hurriedly, in a negligé shirt, with a Windsor scarf, light-colored, serviceable trousers with a belt, russet shoes, and a tennis hat--a knockabout costume, he considered. His mother, good soul, thought it a special suit put on for her benefit, and admired it through her glasses. He kissed her with a bright smile, nodded at Laura, the young wife, and tossed the baby, all in a breath, and with the manner, as he himself saw, of the returned captain in the war-dramas of the day. "Been to breakfast?" He frowned reproachfully. "Why didn't you call me? I wanted to get up, just as I used to, at sunrise." "We thought you was tired, and so we didn't--" "Tired! Just wait till you see me help Grant pitch hay or something. Hasn't finished his haying yet, has he?" "No, I guess not. He will to-day if it don't rain again." "Well, breakfast is all ready--Howard," said Laura, hesitating a little on his name. "Good! I am ready for it. Bacon and eggs, as I'm a jay! Just what I was wanting. I was saying to myself: 'Now if they'll only get bacon and eggs and hot biscuits and honey--' Oh, say, mother, I heard the bees humming this morning; same noise they used to make when I was a boy, exactly. Must be the same bees,--Hey, you young rascal! come here and have some breakfast with your uncle." "I never saw her take to any one so quick," Laura said, emphasizing the baby's sex. She had on a clean calico dress and a gingham apron, and she looked strong and fresh and handsome. Her head was intellectual, her eyes full of power. She seemed anxious to remove the impression of her unpleasant looks and words the night before. Indeed, it would have been hard to resist Howard's sunny good-nature. The baby laughed and crowed. The old mother could not take her dim eyes off the face of her son, but sat smiling at him as he ate and rattled on. When he rose from the table at last, after eating heartily and praising it all, he said, with a smile: "Well, now I'll just telephone down to the express and have my trunk brought up. I've got a few little things in there you'll enjoy seeing. But this fellow," indicating the baby, "I didn't take him into account. But never mind: Uncle How.'ll make that all right." "You ain't going to lay it up agin Grant, be you, my son?" Mrs. McLane faltered, as they went out into the best room. "Of course not! He didn't mean it. Now, can't you send word down and have my trunk brought up? Or shall I have to walk down?" "I guess I'll see somebody goin' down," said Laura. "All right. Now for the hay-field," he smiled, and went out into the glorious morning.