"What you doing here?" he asked, sternly.
"Been buying a few things," said Jack.
"Let me see 'em," said his father.
Jack tremblingly opened his package.
"Where'd you get the money?"
"With quails," said Jack, meekly.
His father fumbled over the things with his big, mittened hand, and said quite gently: "For the girls, I s'pose."
"Yes, sir," answered Jack, beginning to feel relieved.
"Well, run along home."
Jack was only too happy to do so. There wasn't much sympathy between him and his father, nor, indeed, between his father and any of the family—that is, there didn't seem to be; but I guess the stream was frozen over, and only needed a few gleams of sunshine to make it bubble on, laughing and gurgling as in the best of hearts.