liable for that money anyway, it’ll have to be the check or nothing.”

“Didn’t you agree—” began the farmer, angrily.

“There, there, James,” Mrs. Peel soothed. “There ain’t any cause to pursue the subject. They’re right, I guess; they ain’t bound to pay back what the burglars took, and I don’t know as I ought to take the money from them.” She laid the check on the edge of the counter and observed it dubiously.

“That’s all right, ma’am,” said Dick. “We want you to have it. We’ve made it up between us. It wasn’t our fault that the store was broken into, but still we were left in charge, after a fashion, and we’d feel better about it if you let us pay.”

Farmer Ewing laughed sarcastically.

“Gettin’ out of it pretty cheap at that, I guess,” he sneered. “If it was my store—”

“Oh, see here, now, if it was your store you’d have had no customers!” broke out Roy.

Further hostilities were interrupted by a knock at the door. Mr. Ewing turned the key and