"Wa'al," said Mr. Kimball, after a long silence, and with more cheerfulness in his tones than his family had heard since he got the bad news, "wa'al, there's no use cryin' over spilt milk, 'n' what can't be cured must be endured. Th' money's gone, thet's sure. Now I'll hev t' pitch in 'n' airn some more. I'm young yit. I guess I kin do it. Never say die, 'n' don't guv up th' ship. Them's my mottoes," and he blew his nose with a vigor that seemed to be uncalled for. "It's turrible," spoke up Mrs. Kimball, "jest 's ye were gittin' ready t' take things a leetle easier, Bert. It's a shame, thet's what 't is, 'n' ef I could see some a' them railroad directors I'd tell 'em so, thet's what I would." "Easy, easy," said Mr. Kimball. "It's tough luck, t' be sure, but from what th' newspapers says, I ain't th' only one. There's lots went down in the Wall Street crash. Plenty a' others lost their money. Th' thing fer me 'n' you t' do now, is t' consider what's t' be done. No use settin' down 'n' foldin' our hands. Cryin' never mended matters yit. I must go t' th' city t' see Jackson 'bout th' mortgage. Ef he'll hold off a bit mebby I kin straighten things out. Ef he won't--" He didn't finish the sentence, but they all knew what he meant. "I'm hungry," announced Mr. Kimball, suddenly. "Why," looking at the clock, "here 't is near seven, 'n' th' chores ain't done yit, 'n' no table set." "I didn't think any 'bout eatin'," said Mrs. Kimball, "but I'll git supper right away." She and Clara started to put the meal on, and in bustling about they forgot for a time the bad news. Roger and Adrian went out to help lock up the barn and various out-houses, to bed down the horses, and see that everything was in good shape for the night. "It's too bad, isn't it?" ventured Roger, noting his cousin's unusual silence and guessing the cause. "Well, as dad says, it might be worse," answered Adrian. "I'm going to pitch in and help all I can." "And I will too, as long as I'm here," said Roger heartily, and by reason of this trouble the two boys felt more like brothers than cousins. "I don't s'pose there's much we can do though, Ade." "I know how I can make considerable loose change," replied the country boy. "If it wasn't so near winter I could clear twenty-five dollars easy, and that'd pay some of the interest." "How could you make twenty-five dollars?" asked Roger. "I'll show you to-morrow. There goes the supper horn," and the two boys hurried into the house.