"No, sir. He said I might tell you, so's you'd understand; he knew you wouldn't let it go no further, Mr. Weaver. Fact is, he wants to keep folks away for a spell, so's Mr. Homer can get rested up. He's real wore out with all these celebrations and goin's on, and he has so many callers he don't have no chance to live hardly. So Tommy thought if he could paint the gate, and keep on paintin' it, with a good paint that lasted wet, you see, it would--Well, what he means is,--there couldn't anybody get in but what had pants on. It's a narrow gate, you know." "I know," said Seth, with a grim twinkle. "I see. That's Tommy Candy all over. Tell him I'll fix him up an article will do the business; he needn't have no fears. But how about them little pink petticuts of yourn, Annie Lizzie? I dono as Tommy is so special anxious to keep them out, is he?" The pink of Annie Lizzie's dress was surely not a fast color, for it seemed to spread in a rosy cloud over her soft cheeks, up, up, to the soft rings of hair against her forehead. "Direxia's real good to me," she said, simply. "She lets me come in the back gate." THE END. * * * * * By LAURA E. RICHARDS MRS. TREE'S WILL MRS. TREE GEOFFREY STRONG FOR TOMMY LOVE AND ROCKS CAPTAIN JANUARY