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"They find plenty to do, even on rainy days," answered his mother. " Grant always has some job to set the men at. It’s the only way to live. "

"I’ll go out and see them. " He turned suddenly. "Mother, why should Grant treat me so? Have I deserved it?"

Mrs. McLane sighed in pathetic hopelessness. "I don’t know, Howard. I’m worried about Grant. He gets more an’ more downhearted an’ gloomy every day. Seem’s if he’d go crazy. He don’t care how he looks any more, won’t dress up on Sunday. Days an’ days he’ll go aroun’ not sayin’ a word. I was in hopes you could help him, Howard. "

"My coming seems to have had an opposite effect. He hasn’t spoken a word to me, except when he had to, since I came. Mother, what do you say to going home with me to New York?"

"Oh, I couldn’t do that!" she cried in terror. "I couldn’t live in a big city–never!"

"There speaks the truly rural mind," smiled Howard at his mother, who was looking up at him through her glasses with a pathetic forlornness which sobered him again. "Why, Mother, you could live in Orange, New Jersey, or out in Connecticut, and be just as lonesome as you are here. You wouldn’t need to live in the city. I could see you then every day or two. "

"Well, I couldn’t leave Grant an’ the baby, anyway," she replied, not realizing how one could live in New Jersey and do business daily in New York.

"Well, then, how would you like to go back into the old house?" he said, facing her.

The patient hands fell to the lap, the dim eyes fixed in searching glance on his face. There was a wistful cry in the voice.

"Oh, Howard! Do you mean–"

He came and sat down by her, and put his arm about her and hugged her hard. "I mean, you dear, good, patient, work-weary old Mother, I’m going to buy back the old farm and put you in it. "

There was no refuge for her now except in tears, and she put up her thin, trembling old hands about his neck and cried in that easy, placid, restful way age has.

Howard could not speak. His throat ached with remorse and pity. He saw his forgetfulness of them all once more without relief–the black thing it was!

"There, there, Mother, don’t cry!" he said, torn with anguish by her tears. Measured by man’s tearlessness, her weeping seemed terrible to him. "I didn’t realize how things were going here. It was all my fault–or, at least, most of it. Grant’s letter didn’t reach me. I thought you were still on the old farm. But no matter; it’s all over now. Come, don’t cry any more, Mother dear. I’m going to take care of you now. "

It had been years since the poor, lonely woman had felt such warmth of love. Her sons had been like her husband, chary of expressing their affection; and like most Puritan families, there was littl
e of caressing among them. Sitting there with the rain on the roof and driving through the trees, they planned getting back into the old house. Howard’s plan seemed to her full of splendor and audacity. She began to understand his power and wealth now, as he put it into concrete form before her.

"I wish I could eat Thanksgiving dinner there with you," he said at last, "but it can’t be thought of. However, I’ll have you all in there before I go home. I’m going out now and tell Grant. Now don’t worry any more; I’m going to fix it all up with him, sure. " He gave her a parting hug.