"We could arrange that, I think. You had better let me do it."
"Thank you. I suppose Thora could hardly do it alone, though she is wonderful with tools. She chops trees for the fire and she mended the roof; put in new poles. Some of them were nearly down. The house was in wonderful condition, considering it was built sixty years ago; but so well built. The windows were boarded up and the glass was unbroken. It was terribly dusty, of course, but we fixed that."
How did she know when the house was built? Did she put in all these "you sees" and "of courses" for sheer tantalization?
Thora had gone into another room. There seemed to be three in all. The girl caught Red looking wistfully at the violin that lay on the table.
"Do you like music?" she asked. "We may have some presently."
"Yes'm, I do." Red glanced at Sheridan. The bet was still undecided. Thora came back with a kettle which she put on a swinging crane over the embers.
"Better I get some wood," she said. Jackson sprang up.
"I'll help you," he suggested. Thora looked at him with the amiability one might show to a child.
"All right," she said, and they went out together.
Sheridan began to doubt whether their coming had been necessary. Not that he was not heartily glad they had done so. But Thora was a tower in herself and the "slimsy lady" had both wits and spirit. He imagined the crowd arriving, offered
