his hand he still had some of
the bread and meat he had taken from the ice box.

Bunny and Sue looked at him.

The boy's clothes were very ragged, but they seemed to be clean. He had
on no shoes or stockings, but one foot was wrapped up in a rag, as
though he had cut himself. He limped a little, too, as he came forward.

"I--I couldn't run very fast with my sore foot, or I'd a' got away from
you," he said slowly.

"But why should you want to get away?" asked Mr. Brown.

"Well, I took some of your stuff--I was hungry and I went through the
ice box--and I s'posed you'd be looking for a policeman to have me
arrested. That's why I ran. But I couldn't go very far, so I hid in the
bushes. I thought I could get away when you weren't looking. Here's your
stuff," and he held out to Mrs. Brown what was left of the bread and
meat. Bunny and Sue thought the ragged boy looked hungrily at the food
as he offered to give it back.

"You poor boy!" said Mrs. Brown, "I don't want it! You're welcome to
that and more, if you need it. You must be hungry!"

"I am, lady. I haven't had anything since morning. I started to go back
to the city, but it's farther than I thought, and I lost my way. When I
struck this camp, I saw the sign--'Rest-a-While,' so I sat down to rest.
Then I saw the ice box, and I was hungry, and--and I--well, I just
helped myself."

His face was sunburned, so it could not be told whether he was blushing
or not, but he hung his head as if ashamed of what he had done. He still
held out the meat to Mrs. Brown.

Splash, who, now that he knew the boy was a friend of the family, did
not bark any more, slid gently up, and began nibbling at the meat and
bread in the boy's hand.

"Oh, look at Splash!" laughed Sue.

"Here, Splash! That isn't for you!" cried Mr. Brown. "But you might as
well give it to him now, now that he's had his tongue on it," said Mr.
Brown to the ragged boy. "We'll give you some more."

"Yes, sit right up to the table," said Mrs. Brown. "I'll get you a good
meal."

The boy's eyes filled with tears, and he turned his head away so they
would not be seen.

"Where did you come from?" asked Daddy Brown, as Mrs. Brown was setting
out some food.

"I come from Benton," the boy answered, naming a city about twenty miles
away. "I've lived there all my life until about a week ago, and I wish I
was back there now."

"How did you come to leave?"

"Well, all my folks died, and I couldn't make much of a