still of the same mind about your mission?"

"I am."

"Then throw down that hardware and come to work on this job. A man has
been hurt here--his wife is in need. Earn some money and give it to
them."

"But my mission concerns the world--the wide world."

"Real selfishness's chief excuse! Here's something ready to your hand.
Will you do it?"

"But thee told me thee would not go forth and do good!"

"No matter about me. I am not a professional knight-errant! Will you do
this?"

"Ten seconds more!" warned the boss.

"I cannot change my plans so suddenly," protested Chick.

"A knight-errant should not have plans! My time is up and I have work.
Good-by, Friend Chick!"

The young man went back to his task and the Quaker passed on, muttering
reaffirmation of his own high aims.

"And how could I expect a vagrant to understand?" he asked himself.

The vagrant toiled two weeks at his heavy task and when the man Jose was
about again the volunteer slipped away without farewell.

He left on the table of his under-the-eaves bedroom in the Jose house
all the pay he received for his work, to the last penny.

"He wasn't what he seemed to be," ran the burden of Mrs. Jose's various
disquisitions on this strange guest. "He ate his vittles and asked no
questions, and was out from underfoot, and was always willing to set up
with my husband and give me a snippet of rest and a wink of sleep; and
he read out of little books all the time--he had 'em stuffed into his
pockets. And there needn't anybody tell _me_! He left all his pay on the
table, every cent of it, and stole away without waiting for no thanks
from nobody!"

IV

FARR, THE FAT TRAMP, AND A SUIT OF CLOTHES

On a balmy forenoon a jovial-appearing old gentleman went jogging out
of the mill city of Marion and along a country road in his two-wheeled
chaise. He sat erect and he was tall above the average of men, and he
was very neat in his attire.

"I wish," he mused, "that the men who could really appreciate a
good outfit of clothing and could use the same properly were not so
infernally touchy. As it is, cranky human nature drives me out on an
expedition like this--and I'm afraid I am just as cranky as the rest of
'em, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this!"

The old gentleman hummed a song under his breath and slapped his reins
against the flanks of the plodding horse to keep time. He came into a
piece of woodland. He seemed to take cheery and fresh interest