"It was said to be yours," Sylvane told her, true to his promise not to mention his brother's name, even inferentially. "I 'lowed that the baby and--and all--would need the milk. Reckon you best leave her stay." "No," said Callista positively. "The cow's nothing I have any concerns with. Maybe Sis' Roxy could make use of the milk. Take her along home, Sylvane, or drive her back where she came from--or turn her loose, for all of me." And then Sylvane knew whether his brother had failed in care for the child. When Callista came in from disposing of this question of the cow, she found her mother standing, inclined, as usual, to be tearful, over the boxes and bundles. Coming on one of these latter with a peculiar knot which Lance always used, and which he had once taught her the secret of, Callista experienced a sick revulsion of feeling. "I wish you'd undo 'em and put 'em away for me. Mammy," she said with unusual gentleness. "I think I hear the baby." "All right, honey, go 'long and 'tend to him. I'll see to these," agreed Octavia patiently. Callista hurried over to the big house where [291] young Ajax lay asleep, and, as chance would have it, found indeed that he had wakened. She was hushing him on her knee a few minutes later, when her mother appeared in the doorway, a little money held in her trembling hands, and her eyes now openly overflowing. "That pore boy!" Octavia burst out. "Look what he sent you. Sis! Now, he hain't sold anything of his crop--not yet. The good Lord only knows whar he come by this; but what he could get his hands on, he's sent you." Callista leaped to her feet and ran to the door, pushing her mother aside none too gently, offending Ajax greatly by her rough handling of him. "Sylvane!" she cried in the direction of the horse lot where Sylvane had gone to exchange the harness for a saddle on the mule. "Whoo-ee--Sylvane!" "I'm a-comin'," Sylvane's voice answered, and she turned swiftly to the bed and laid the baby down. "Give me that money!" she demanded. "What for?" asked Octavia with unexpected spirit, tucking the bills in against her arm and refusing them. "I want to send it back by Sylvane." "You ain't a-goin' to do any such thing," Octavia declared. "The good Lord! To think that I ever raised such a gal as you air!" "Give it to me!" Callista laid hands upon her [292] mother's arm, wrenching at it. "Here's Sylvane. Give it to me now!" The thud of the mule's hoofs approaching the door came clearly to both of them. Callista could even distinguish the little cow's light feet following. The two wrestled and swayed a moment, Callista pushing a strong, capable hand into the elbow where the bills and the few coins were held. "Take it, then. Oh, my Lord!" moaned Octavia. "I think you're the hard-heartedest somebody I ever knew of. Pore Lance--pore Lance!"