“I took the pictures to the overseer’s office at noon.  I knew that ’Agent Wilkins,’ as he was called to distinguish him from his brother, was always there at that time.  He looked up at me, as I drew near the desk, with an expression which almost paralyzed me with disgust.  But for Nat’s sake I kept on.  I watched him closely as he looked at the pictures.  I thought I detected a start of surprise, but I could not be sure.  Then he laid them down, saying carelessly, ’I am no judge of these things; I will consult some one who is, and let you know to-morrow noon if we can pay your brother anything for the designs.’

“’Of course you know that the market is flooded with this sort of thing, Miss Kent,’ he added, as I was walking away.  I made no reply; I was already revolving in my mind a plan for taking them to another mill in town, whose overseer was a brother of one of papa’s wardens.  The next day at noon I went to the office; my heart beat fast, but I tried to believe that I did not hope.  Both the brothers were there.  The overseer spoke first, but I felt that the agent watched me sharply.

“‘So your lame brother drew these designs, did he, Miss Dora?’

“’My brother Nat drew them, sir; I have but one brother, said I, trying hard to speak civilly.

“‘Well’ said he, ’they are really very well done—­quite remarkable, considering that they are the work of a child who has had no instruction; they would have to be rearranged and altered before we could use them, but we would like to encourage him and to help you too,’ he continued, patronizingly, ‘and so we shall buy them just as they are.’

“‘My brother Nat is not a child,’ replied I, ’and we do not wished to be helped.  If the designs are not worth money, will you be so good as to give them back to me?’ and I stepped nearer the desk and stretched out my hand toward the pictures which were lying there.  But Agent Wilkins snatched them up quickly, and casting an angry glance at his brother, exclaimed:—­

“’Oh, you quite mistake my brother, Miss Kent; the designs are worth money and we are glad to buy them; but they are not worth so much as they would be if done by an experienced hand.  We will give you ten dollars for the three,’ and he held out the money to me.  Involuntarily I exclaimed, ’I had not dreamed that they would be worth so much.’  Nat could earn then in four hours’ work as much as I could in a week; in that one moment the whole of life seemed thrown open for us.  All my distrust vanished.  And when the agent added, kindly, ’Be sure and bring us all the designs which your brother makes.  I think we shall want to buy as many as he will draw; he certainly has rare talent,’—­I could have fallen on the floor at his feet to thank him, so grateful did I feel for this new source of income for us, and still more for the inexpressible pleasure for my poor Nat.