Furthermore, Etienne Provancher always came to the yard o’ fine evenings and it served as his little realm; and the door-step of the good woman’s house was his throne where he sat in state among his little subjects.  However, on second thought, this metaphor is not happy description; old Etienne did not rule—­he obeyed.

He did not resent familiarity—­he welcomed the comradeship of the children.  When they called him “Pickaroon” it seemed to him that they were making a play-fellow of him.

He sat and whittled toys for them out of the pine-wood scraps which the yard foreman gave him.  There were grotesque heads for rag dolls, and the good woman seemed to have unlimited rags and an excellent taste in doll-dressmaking; there were chunky automobiles with spools for wheels; there were funny little wooden men who jumped in most amusing fashion at the end of wires which were stuck into their backs.  Old Etienne was always ready to sit and whittle until the evening settled down and he could see no longer, even though he held the wood and busy knife close to his eyes.

So on that evening he whittled as usual.

Walker Farr came to the yard and sat beside the old man on the door-step and was plainly thinking no agreeable thoughts while he listened to the chatter of the children.

After the darkness had come and the larger boys and girls, custodians of their tiny kin, had dragged away the protesting and whimpering little folks because it was bedtime, Zelie Dionne laid down her needlework over which she had been straining her eyes.  The good woman protested often because the girl toiled so steadily with her needle after her day at the mill was ended.  And on that summer evening she voiced complaint again.

“You have so many pretty gowns already!  You wear one last evening—­you wear anodder this evening—­and still you make some more!  When a young girl nigh kill herself so as to make a picture-book of her dresses I think it is time to look for some young man who seems to like the pictures.  Eh?”

“Mother Angelique, I do not relish jokes which are silly,” protested the girl.  “You know how the girls of our country are taught!  We cannot sit with hands in our laps without being very unhappy.”

She went out and sat upon the door-step where old Etienne made way for her.

“At first I did not think I would come out, Mr. Farr,” she said.  “But I have made bold to come.”

“I do not think it needs boldness to come where I am,” he returned.  “I hope you are not going to make a stranger of me because I have not been very neighborly of late.  I have been busy and I have been away.  The boys have paid my fare up-country, and so I ran about to carry the gospel of the free water.  The truckmen have volunteered in half a dozen places.  We are doing a great work.”

“And yet I am afraid,” she confessed.  “You are fighting men who can do you much harm.  I have been asking questions so as to know more about those men.  For they have threatened poor Father Etienne.  I wanted to know about them.  I cannot help.  But can you not help, Mr. Farr?  I think you are much more than you seem to be,” she added, naively.