All at once it seemed to him that the Whipples had been hasty.

They would get to thinking the thing over and drop it; never mention it to him again.

Well, he was willing to let it drop.

He wouldn't mention it again if they didn't.

He would tell no one.
* * * * * Nor did he speak of it until the following evening, after the Whipples had surprisingly not only mentioned it again but had operated in the little bank office, under the supervision of Squire Culbreth, a simple mechanism of the law which left him the legal father of but one son.
Then he went to astonish the Pennimans with his news, only to find that Winona had secretively nursed it even longer than he had.