YOURS WITH ALL MY HEART 



must be gotten out, and that quick, if we 

 have to smash a hole through the brickwork, 

 or take out the whole side of the chimney!" 

 And grandma deposited her candlestick on 

 the cellar stairs, straightened her tall figure, 

 and stripped back her sleeves, with a gesture 

 that always meant business. 



The elder son saw himself, in imagination, 

 seeking his bed somewhere in the gray dawn ; 

 but it was no use pooh-poohing at grandma 

 when she had once made up her mind, so he 

 arose from his seat on an old cider-keg, 

 rested his long hands meditatively on his 

 hips, and surveyed the solid masonry. 



" Preston, you bring that light right round 

 the back side of this chimney; 'pears to me I 

 remember Ah yes, here 'tis ! I thought 

 there was a flue there! It just this minute 

 came across me how, years and years ago, 

 your father let neighbor Doctor Johnson, 

 the dentist, bake his teeth down here, just to 

 help him out. We put this flue in on pur- 

 pose for him." And grandma, as she spoke, 

 was twisting away with eager fingers at the 

 iron cover, some three feet above ground, 

 but bedded in rust, leading to a small round 

 passage into the chimney. 

 64 



