B. M. Bower

“ All those things will be needed when your final settlement with Uncle Howard comes up.”
“I told you I didn’t know much about such things.” Lorrie smiled dubiously. “And the little books?”
“Put them away, too; safer even than the report. They’re mostly brand tallies—but I wouldn’t show them to Uncle Howard; he’d probably make fun of your father’s bookkeeping—him being such an expert, himself. And don’t you worry about it. Let Uncle Howard do the worrying—he’s getting paid for it.” ”

“ Lorrie looked ruefully down at the little books. “It’s just my ignorance,” she told him. “I came across these, and got to looking them over, and the more I looked the queerer things seem. I’ve just got the report Uncle Howard has made of the three months he’s been administrator and—it’s odd; I can understand one, all right, but when I put the two together, they don’t match. I thought maybe you would know about such things. You know about handling stock, don’t you?” ”

“ Reid said slowly, “that brand books and—er—administrator’s reports are kind of out of your line. There’s a lot of things in the cow business you couldn’t understand; and, if I were you, I wouldn’t try any more. And I don’t think I’d bother Uncle Howard about it. Your Uncle Howard,” he added with a peculiar lowering of eyelids, “is a mighty busy man these days.” ”