Tabitha's Vacation

the house with frightened eyes, until the physician's bulky figure strode down the path toward town again. Then, flinging himself face down in the gravel, he sobbed in unrestrained relief, until,

ne of the younger girls in quest of him, feeling that he might resent being awakened by her while the trace of tears still showed on his face. Nor was sh

he rest of us to hunting

n was so hot it made my head ache, and I guess it has burned my f

ut for once held her tongue, only announcing briefly as she st

Tell Tabitha I don't want anything to

least express some sympathy for his aching head; but what did she care? What did anyone care about him? Morosely he shambled along behind his agile cousin; but i

emorse tugged at his heart, but the victim, hearing the creak of the opening door, o

ted an uninte

's only answer was a vicious jerk which divested him of collar and waist at a

led the other, tugging

the matt

ada

t any castor-b

brother, thinking he was being made fun of; but Toady's cherubic face se

nstrued his brother's meaning, and interrupted, "Aw, shut up! Let a feller alone for o

ing of his brother would awake his better nature if nothing else would, so she was

e sick, that I thought it would cure him of his mean mischief, at least. But now he seems bent on trying t

Toady's reform," suggested the r

tha fervently. "I should go wild if h

how provoking it

Glor

'mad,' as Rosslyn says, when Toady had blindly followed his leadership for s

ther amusin

ng the word and Toady has obeyed. It's rather a-a-jar, to

bitha, somewhat sarcast

he girls at play under the kitchen window, and he declared that it was a mistake for Inez and Irene to

t it! To-day while you were at the bakery and he thought I had gone for the mai

shook h

king them carry in his wood. Even little Janie was loaded down wi

did yo

ht where they were, and he had

even Toad

" repeated Tabit

d-we are no

her companion stammered in

anything by trying to forc

behaving himself, and threats don't do a mite of good. I think a smart dose of

ooked d

e with me?" sug

g boy to be thra

big boy to a

at's tru

ollowed by a medley of excited accusations, denials, threats, and Billiard's taunting laugh. Tabitha flew to the rescue of her brood and found Irene

n indignantly, at sight of the

warning," said

n, after a hasty examination of the victim had conv

n't that rich?"

gshot," volun

ted a rock,"

n imperious gesture. "Pass it ov

on the saw-horse, as if to enjoy the scene he had created. But his enjoyment was short lived. Tabitha, now thoroughly aroused, and forgetful of her dignity, swooped down upon the

is slippers, and she recalled the fact that it was not the physical hurt, but the humiliation of the blow which had wounded her most deeply. Flinging down the s

ipped by a girl not four years his senior! Whipped by a girl! It was an unforgivable outrage. He would get even for that. But what was he to do? Would could he do? S

pen window say, "Yes, he has run away. The inspector completed his job this

d Mercedes. "T

, but no one seems to have seen him anywhere aroun

rchief, although he felt that this was an essential; and after a cautious survey of the premises to make sure that the children were nowhere near, he crawled out of the window, carefully shut the screen again, and darted swiftly down the steep, pathless incline on the west side of the house to the flat below. I

follow the railroad, but on second thought he concluded that he might easily be overtaken and brought back if he took that course. So after a brief survey of the pathless landsca

hat Mercy goes so crazy about. Say, that's just the thing! It takes only about twelve hours to get there by

ernoon sun had set and the range of white-capped mountains which sheltered Crystal City was seemingly no nearer than when he had set out. He began to feel faint with hunger and thirst, and was appalled to think he

arm that he would really enjoy sleeping out in the open air. Eagerly he scanned the evening sky, and perceiving that the east appeared to be growing lighter, his spirits began to rise. After all, he was not sorry he had run away. Wouldn't there be consternation in the Eagles' Nest when his absence was

is shoes, and he was just beginning to consider where he should lie down to sleep when a sudden scurry in the underbrush froze him in his tracks. The next minute, however, he laughed at his fright, for it was merely a mother burro and her baby colt which his steps had routed from their

stirring ballads to fill in the moments while the toothsome sweet was cooking. What exciting tales his cousins told of the brave, black-haired maid whom he was trying so hard to hate. He did hate her! That is, sometimes he did. But he could not help admiring her pluck, even though he stood in aw

his eyes, held his breath and waited for the end. But to his utter amazement, a second voice huskily replied, after an instant, "Yes, you've go

t upon the waste below. Billiard, his hands still thrust stiffly above his head, now distinguished a few feet in front of him the dark shap

who was evidently leader of the posse. "Tell your tale i

had he not followed them? It wasn't too late yet. He could still see their forms indistinctly moving across the desert, and by following their lead, would sooner or later reach Silver Bow himself. Stepping out from the clump

place. One lone light burned in the low cottage. Probably Tabitha had missed him an

lli

? but the boy almost screamed aloud in

-and I saw you coming up the trail. Tabitha hasn't missed you yet. She has been so anxious over the baby. So snea

I-" began bewildered Billiard, m

back, but I knew-I thought you would-" How could she tell him that she knew he was too much of a coward to persist in running away? "Scramble

"I-I'll not forget it." And as the girl hurried up the path to the kitchen door, he skirted the house till he reached the window