She smilingly gave him her hand, which he took rather awkwardly, and said,—
"How d' 'e do, Aunt Lavinia. I suppose I must call you aunt."
"Call me just Vinnie; the idea of my being aunt to young men like you!"
There was a little constraint on both sides, which Link relieved by pushing between them with a big armful of wood.
"Well, good by," said Jack. "She will need a little looking after, Rufus; see that she doesn't work too hard."
"You are not going to work hard for us!" said Rufus, with some feeling, after Jack was gone.
"That depends," Vinnie replied. "You can make things easy for me, as I am sure you will."
"Of course; just let me know if they don't go right. Call on Link or Wad for anything; make 'em stand round."
Vinnie smiled at Rufe's willingness to have his brothers brought into the line of discipline.
"They are both helping me now. But I find there are no potatoes in the house, and I've been wondering who would get them. Lill says they are to be dug in the field, and that she digs them sometimes; but that seems too bad!"