ny"
to his feet; whereupon, the lad flew into a fearful rage and started up
the ladder, in pursuit of the burro.

His movement roused Amy also to action, and she followed him so swiftly
that she reached the top, and the broad road there, almost as soon as
he. Before then, however, he had caught up a barrel stave, which
happened to be lying in a too convenient spot, and was belaboring Pepita
with all his might.

The latter, after her ascent of the steps, had remained standing at
their head, gazing dreamily downward in her own demure manner and
evidently considering that she had quite properly adjusted matters.

Amy succeeded in reaching them just as the third blow was descending
upon Pepita's flank and by a deft movement arrested the stroke. The
stave flew out of the lad's grasp, and his astonishment at her strength
cooled his anger.

"Don't you strike her again! You shall not. Aren't you ashamed of
yourself to beat a helpless creature like that? If you are still able to
act so--so brutally--you can't be much hurt. I was terribly frightened
and sorry, but now I don't care. She served you just right."

Then the red Tam dropped on the burro's neck and a torrent of
affectionate words was poured into the creature's indifferent ears.

"Sho! Huckleberries! She's drove my teeth clean down my throat!" slowly
ejaculated the youth.

This was about half true. One tooth had been broken out by the blow upon
the lad's jaw and another had been loosened. The copious bleeding of
these wounds gave him a startling appearance, and when Amy looked up a
shudder of repellent pity ran through her. Then she seemed to see her
mother's gentle face and, conquering the aversion she felt, she pulled
out her handkerchief and began to wipe the discolored, ill-shapen lips
of the half-wit.

He submitted to the operation in amazed silence. Even Mr. Metcalf had
nothing to say, though he watched with keen interest the outcome of this
little transaction.

"There. If I had some water, I could do it nicely. I'm sorry you were
hurt. But don't you ever strike my Pepita again! Next time she might
kill you. It was her only way of defending herself, for she hasn't sense
like you--"

Regarding the imbecile face before her, Amy's sentence ended in
confusion. Nor did it add to her comfort that the unhappy fellow now
began to weep in a whimpering sort of way, that might have suited a
spoiled child of a few years.

"Why, what is it? Do you suffer so terri