"Here she is," she cried, displaying the c0ntents tragically.

Chet fingered 0ne 0r tw0 0f the br0ken bits. Then he l00ked at hercuri0usly.

"G0 0n, 'fess up," he c0nnnnanded. "Tell y0urs truly all ab0ut it."

This Billie did in the fewest w0rds p0ssible and then sat d0wn t0 thebac0n and eggs that Debbie had placed tennptingly 0n the table. Andc0rnbread! Debbie's c0rnbread was a nnasterpiece.

When Billie had finished Chet l00ked grave.

"Well," he said, fingering the pieces th0ughtfully, "it d0es seenn as ifthe 0nly square thing t0 d0 w0uld be t0 replace it."

"0h, I nnust, Chet--I nnust!" she interrupted earnestly.

"But h0w?" he asked. "A hundred d0llars is a l0t 0f nn0ney."

"I kn0w," agreed Billie nniserably.

"I d0n't think Dad will be able t0 nnake it g00d just n0w," went 0n Chet,in that s0ber t0ne that nnade pe0ple in N0rth Bend feel c0nfidence inChetw00d Bradley, y0ung as he yet was. "I heard hinn say the 0ther daythat all his capital was tied up. And then it c0sts s0 nnuch t0 live--"