Presently he and Jim climbed up to the little room over the kitchen. No sooner were they alone than Tode commenced on a subject that had puzzled him. "I say, Jim, how comes it that you knew all about those things and never told _me_? That's treating a fellow pretty mean, I think. I always shared the peanuts and things I got with you." "See here," answered Jim, in open-eyed wonder; "what are you driving at?" "Why, _things_ that you know and never told me. Here your mother has got a Bible, and you know verses in it, and know about heaven, and all, and you never told me a word." Jim sat down on the foot of the bed and laughed, long and loud and merrily. "I don't know, Tode, whether you're cracked, or what is the matter with you," he said at last, when he could speak, "but I never heard a fellow mixing up peanuts and heaven before." Tode was someway not in a mood to be laughed at, so he gave vent somewhat loftily to a solemn truth. "Oh well, if you're a mind to think that the peanuts is of the most consequence after all, why I don't know as I object." And then the boy deliberately knelt down and began his evening prayer. He was too ignorant to know that there were boys who thought it unmanly to pray. It never occurred to him to omit his kneeling. As for Jim he felt himself in a very strange position. He kicked his heels against the bedpost for awhile, but presently he grew ashamed of that, and contented himself with very noisily making ready for bed. Tode, when he rose, was in a softened mood, and as he blew out the light said: "I wish you knew how to pray, Jim. I do, honestly, it's so nice." "Praying and brandy bottles don't go together," answered his companion, shortly. "No more they don't," said Tode, emphatically. "I had to quit that business myself." If some of our respectable brandy-drinking, brandy-selling deacons _could_ have heard those two ignorant boys talk! [Illustration] CHAPTER XV. EXIT TODE MALL. On went the brisk and busy days; the soft air of summer was upon them, and still the business at the dry-goods box flourished, and was taking on fresh importance with every passing day. The people were almost numberless who grew into the habit of stopping at the little box, to be waited on by the briskest and sharpest of boys to delicious coffee and cookies, or as the days grew warmer to a glass of iced lemonade, or a saucer of glowing strawberries. The matter was putting on the semblance of a partnership concern, for the old lady rivaled the bakery with her cookies, both as regarded taste and economy; and in due course of time Winny caught the infection, studied half a leaf of an old receipt-book which came wrapped around an ounce of alum, and finally took to compounding a mixture, which being duly baked and carefully watched by the mother's practiced eye, developed into distracting little cream cakes, which met with most astonishing sales.