et. The little book, from which he had torn the
leaves for this purpose, had already dropped unheeded into the grass at
his feet.

"Yes, son, yes, we'll go," muttered the man. "I feel better now. I
can--walk."

And he did walk, though very slowly, ten, a dozen, twenty steps. From
behind came the sound of wheels that stopped close beside them.

"Hullo, there! Going to the village?" called a voice.

"Yes, sir." David's answer was unhesitating. Where "the village" was,
he did not know; he knew only that it must be somewhere away from the
woman who had called him a thief. And that was all he cared to know.

"I'm going 'most there myself. Want a lift?" asked the man, still
kindly.

"Yes, sir. Thank you!" cried the boy joyfully. And together they aided
his father to climb into the roomy wagon-body.

There were few words said. The man at the reins drove rapidly, and paid
little attention to anything but his horses. The sick man dozed and
rested. The boy sat, wistful-eyed and silent, watching the trees and
houses flit by. The sun had long ago set, but it was not dark, for the
moon was round and bright, and the sky was cloudless. Where the road
forked sharply the man drew his horses to a stop.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I guess I'll have to drop you here, friends. I
turn off to the right; but 't ain't more 'n a quarter of a mile for
you, now" he finished cheerily, pointing with his whip to a cluster of
twinkling lights.

"Thank you, sir, thank you," breathed David gratefully, steadying his
father's steps. "You've helped us lots. Thank you!"

In David's heart was a wild desire to lay at his good man's feet all of
his shining gold-pieces as payment for this timely aid. But caution
held him back: it seemed that only in stores did money pay; outside it
branded one as a thief!

Alone with his father, David faced once more his problem. Where should
they go for the night? Plainly his father could not walk far. He had
begun to talk again, too,--low, half-finished sentences that David
could not understand, and that vaguely troubled him. There was a house
near by, and several others down the road toward the village; but David
had had all the experience he wanted that night with strange houses,
and strange women. There was a barn, a big one, which was nearest of
all; and it was toward this barn that David finally turned his father's
steps.

"We'll go there, daddy, if we can get in," he proposed softly. "And
we'll stay all night