. How Something Came to an End. 246
XXVIII. A Meeting. 253
XXIX. Once more in the Woods. 257
XXX. A Girl and a Gun. 264
XXXI. A Man in a Boat. 271
XXXII. Aunt Matilda's Letter. 277
XXXIII. Time to Stop. 286

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WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED.

CHAPTER I.

HARRY LOUDON MAKES UP HIS MIND.

On a wooden bench under a great catalpa-tree, in the front yard of a
comfortable country-house in Virginia, sat Harry and Kate Loudon
worrying their minds. It was all about old Aunt Matilda.

Aunt Matilda was no relation of these children. She was an old colored
woman, who lived in a cabin about a quarter of a mile from their house,
but they considered her one of their best friends. Her old log cabin was
their favorite resort, and many a fine time they had there. When they
caught some fish, or Harry shot a bird or two, or when they could get
some sweet potatoes or apples to roast, and some corn-meal for
ash-cakes, they would take their provisions to Aunt Matilda and she
would cook them. Sometimes an ash-cake would be baked rather harder than
it was convenient to bite, and it had happened that a fish or two had
been cooked entirely away, but such mishaps were not common. Aunt
Matilda was indeed a most wonderful cook--and a cook, too, who liked to
have a boy and a girl by her while she was at work; and who would tell
them stories--as queer old stories as ever were told--while the things
were cooking. The stories were really the cause of the ash-cakes and
fish sometimes being forgotten.

And it is no wonder that these children were troubled in their minds.
They had just heard that Aunt Matilda was to go to the alms-house.

Harry and Kate were silent. They had mourned over the news, and Kate had
cried. There was nothing more to be done about it, so far as she could
see.

But all of a sudden Harry jumped up. "I tell you what it is Kate," he
exclaimed; "I've made up my mind! Aunt Matilda is not going to the
alms-house. I will support her myself!"

"Oh, that will be splendid!" cried Kate; "but you can never do it!"

"Yes, I can," said Harry. "There are ever so many ways in which I can
earn money."

"What are you going to do?" said Kate; "will you let me help?"

"Yes," said her brother; "you may help if you can, but