Crowded Out o' Crofield; or, The Boy who made his Way

ng to th

e. He was a sandy-haired, freckled-faced boy, and if he was really only about fifteen, he was tall for his age. Across the top of the door, over his head,

nches, vises, tools, iron in bars and rods, and all sorts of old

not quite yet a new shoe, and it was sending out bright sparks as a hammer fell upon it-"thud, thud, thud," and a clatter. Over the anvil leaned a tall, muscular, dark-haired, grimy man. Hi

way down, but just there was a little dent, and the rest of the nose was straight. His complexion, excepting the freckles and charcoal, was chiefly sunburn, down to the nec

, again, in a low but positive v

obably the whitest man going into that or any other shop, and he spoke out at on

? If you have, I'll take him. W

ere is here," said the blacksmith,

Deacon Hawkins's line, below the bridge," wheezed the mealy, floury, dusty man, rapid

th, hammering away. "'Twouldn't p

ed his horse, but he led him out without get

, and the boy in the door turned prom

tened and sent up fiery tongues, as the great leathern

ower and striker," said the smith. "He's coming Monda

me out of the fire, "I've been doing something ever since I was twelve. Been w

ven. That's all the shoes I'll make this morning, and there are seven of you at home. Your mother can't spare Molly, but you'll have to do something. It i

, but Jack's expression was only respectfully serious as he walke

. I know I could," he said, to himse

ing under it. The side-street climbed about twenty rods the other way into what was evidently the Main Street of Crofield. There was a tavern on one corner, and across the street from that ther

done. Even the horses of the farmers' teams, hitched in front of the stores, looked sleepy. Ja

in it as there used to be," he said to himsel

Street. She was tall and slender, and her hair and eyes were as dark as those of John Ogden, the blacksmith. Her nose was like his, too, except that it was finer and not so high, and she wore very much the same anxious, disconte

g, Mary Ogde

he anxious look in her eyes changing to a

ry Ogden, but so very wa

thank you,

to be here to-morrow. Hope you'll all come. I shall be there myself. You've had my class a number of times

ested that somebody was blowing upon a kind of fire insid

rrow, Mary. The choir'll be full,

u will, Mi

something up the s

me! It's coming! Run! We'

dark-haired girl had neither flinched nor wavered. She had only sent a curious, inquiring glance in

e said, quietly. "No

not hear the rest. "Mary Ogden's too uppish.-Somebody'll be killed, I know they will!-She's got to be taken down.

s really fine to behold; heads down, necks arched, nostrils wide, reins flying, the wagon behind them banging and swerving-no wonder everybody stood still and, except Mary Ogden, shouted, "Stop 'em!" One young fellow, across the street, stood still only until the runaways were all but close by him. Then he dar

ully for you!" arose from a score of peopl

ike him! There! He's in!" exclaimed Mar

acksmith's boy. I'm afraid he will be hurt," remarked Miss Glidden,

n the back-board of the bouncing wagon. A tug, a spring, a swerve of the wagon, and

ulled in those horses, and one man on the sidewalk seemed to be entirely correct w

Runa

, but she was repeating: "He did

ey're old Hammond's team. They'll try to go home to th

t crash the wagon to pieces against the corner post, because of the desperate guiding that was done by Jack. The wagon swung around without upsetting. It tilted fearfully, and the n

red the galloping team, and the blacksm

Jack!" he shouted, but ther

e bridge," thought Jack.

to drink the water of the Cocahutchie, but it required all Jack's strength on one rein to make his run

around it. Jack's pull on the left rein was obeyed only too well, and it looked, for some seconds, as if the plunging beasts were about to wind up their maddened dash

nge more-hard o

idn't go right between the big mapl

ing, but cooling fast, the gray team gallop

ck, "but the water's very low. Whoa, boys! Whoa, t

ts plunging and stood stil

too much," said Jack; "bu

r they put their noses into the water, and then raised the

uiet, Jack," called out the deep, ring

n. The tall blacksmith's black eyes were flashing w

to himself. "He's set up enough a'read

aly voice at his sid

e all right now. Pretty close sh

"It's wuth it, and I'll pay it; but I've got to owe it to ye, jest now. Tim

ld not exactly say how disastr

d at Jack, by the gathering knot of people on the shore,

ack, and walk 'em out by the bridge, and

the clump of tall trees. Not a voice had come to him from that group of l

Two small boys, who at first belonged to the party, had quickly rolled up their trousers and waded out as far as they could into the Cocahutchie. Just in front of the group, under the trees, stood Mary Ogden, straight as an arrow, her dark eyes flashing a

, "Jack isn't hurt a mite. They'd all ha' bee

e large women, and the other a

ad long straight noses, such as Jack's would have been, i

e mustn't say too much to him about

down the road past the house"-and then she wiped her eyes again, and so did Aunt Melinda, and they both stooped d

of the bridge, and again Jack was loudly praised by the miller. The rest of the Ogde

g this afternoon, just as I said. I was thinking of your doing so

er's horses, and the number of pieces the wagon would have been kno

. Bob and Jim, the two small boys, had not yet returned from seeing the gray s

old Hammond'll owe you that fifty dollars l

d for him three months, and you know we had to take it out in

a had followed her, and so had the girls. Molly had suddenly gone up-stairs to her own room. Aunt Melinda had taken ev

ever, do such a thing again. You mi

only to come down the front way, a

r brother was exploding, "you ought to have seen him jump in

itchen doorway, "come and eat something. I felt as if I knew you

d Jack. "I wasn't afraid of 'em

the table longer than usual, especially Bob and Jim; but, for some reason known to herself, Mary did not say a word about her meeting with Miss Glidden. Pe

e said at last, and t

-pole over his shoulder. It had a line wound around it, ready for use. He went out of t

the bridge, "but I can dig some more if the fish b

he opposite bank, but he paused for one moment, in

isn't any coming over the dam. The pond's even full, though,