]yiXXIXG HER ^YAT 



21 



across the roacl "from tlie old barn. When 

 he came to the fence she called to him : 



''When Yon put out the horses, I Avant 

 ye to bring ver dog along, "n" leave him in 

 the barn over night.'' 



^"'All right," answered John, wondering 

 not a little at the request. But he asked 

 no qnestionSo Miss Betty's reasons were 

 always satisfactory ones — to herself, at 

 any rate — and so it came about that when 

 he put out his horses he brought Towser 

 along and left him in the barn. 



The^next forenoon, about ten o'clock, a 

 man knocked at Miss Betty's front door, 

 ' •'M-m-mornim', Z\I-miss Peabocly,'' he 

 said, as Miss Betty appeared on the 

 threshold. ^'X-n-nice kind o' w-weather, 

 ain> it?'' 



"It'll do," responded ]\Iiss Betty, curtly, 

 while a grim smile played about the cor- 

 ners of her mouth. 



"M-ni-my boy J- Joe's missiu'." said her 

 stuttering visitor. "'B-b-be'n gone s-sense 

 s-s-some time yist'd'y afternoon. Y-y-ye 

 hain't s-s-seen nothin' of him, h-h-have 

 ye ?" 



''Xo, I hain't," responded Miss Betty. 

 '•'That is, in the way you mean. But I've 

 got an idee than ye'll find a boy 'bout his 

 size up in the loft o' the ol' barn where 

 John keeps an extry team whe'n he has 

 help. I've some reason to b'leev he's be'n 

 there sence 'bout four o'clock yest'd'y." 



Mr. Perkins looked at Miss Betty 

 sharply. 



"H-h-how'd he come there, I-I-I'd like 

 to know?" he asked. 



"Ask him." answered Miss Betty. 



'•'H-h-he hain't b-b-be'n a-c-cuttin' up, 

 has he ?" queried Mr. Perkins. 



'•'Xo more'n usual, I guess," answered 

 Miss Betty. '"Xigh's I c'n make out. he's 

 al'ays a-cuttin' up. That's his natur", I 

 sh'd judge, fer I never hear of him "thout 

 bo's be'n in a scrape o' some kind." 



'T-i-if I thought he h-h-had be'n. I'd 

 g-give him a t-t-trouncin'," said Mr. Per- 

 kins. 



"It'd be safe enough to give him the 

 trouncin', then," responded Miss Betty, 



secretly delighted at this chance to add to 

 the punishment of this victim of her dis- 

 pleasure. ''He was trying' to knock some 

 apples off'n my trees yest'd'y, "n' I or- 

 dered him away, 'n' he was dretful sassy. 

 He deserves a good trouncin', Mr. Perkins, 

 'n' I'd give him one, if I was you. Mebbe 

 'twould I'arn him to keep a civil tongue in 

 his head. Anyway, 'twould be. worth tryin' 

 the experiment." 



''I-I-I will." said Xy. Perkins, who was 

 really somewhat afraid, of I\Iiss Betty, 

 therefore anxious to currv favor with her, 

 even at the cost of considerable pain to 

 his own flesh and blood. 



'•'Them willers in the fence corner make 

 real good switches," suggested Miss Betty. 



"I-I-I'll t-take one.'' said Mr. Perkins, 

 and he proceeded to a stout one.. 



'T guess I'd better go to the barn with 

 ye," said "Aliss Betty^ '"'John left ol' 

 Towse there las' night, 'if he might take" 

 it into his head to go for ye." 



Accordingly she accompanied I\Ir. Per- 

 kins to the barn.. Towser growled threat- 

 eningly at sight of the man. but a word 

 from Miss Betty quieted him. 



'•'J-J-Joe." called Mr. Perkins, ''J-J- 

 Joe I" Xo reply. 



'•'He hears you. all right.'' said Miss 

 Betty. ''If he wants to git out o' this 

 scrape, now's his chance, fer 's long 's 

 Towse stays here 'twon't be safe fer him 

 to ventur' down." 



This was said in a tone loud enough to 

 penetrate to the loft. She calculated it 

 would have an effect on the half-famished 

 lad overhead, and it did. For when Mr. 

 Perkins called again a faint answer came 

 from the garret. 



'■'C-c-come down," said Zvlr. Perkins, 

 sternly. "S-s-stir yer boots." 



Joe couldn't comply with this request, 

 literally, because he hadn't any boots to 

 stir, but pretty soon a creaking of loose 

 boards announced the fact that he had got 

 under motion. 



"Put up the ladder." said a voice from 

 the loft. 



(To be continued.) 



