a new one on me!" thundered Mr. Cane. "I've heard of
stealing a red-hot stove, but as for an illuminated Christmas tree with
all the presents on it-- That--gets--me!"

"There wasn't any candles or presents on it when I took it," Sube
explained weakly.

Mr. Cane stood up. Here was a subject that required very careful
investigation, and he was always at his best when on his feet.

"Sit down there." He pointed to a chair directly in front of his wife.
"Now, let's get to the bottom of this thing. When did you pull off
this--robbery?"

"Yesterday."

Mr. Cane thought he had the witness trapped. "Yesterday, eh?" he
demanded. "Why, only last night you were over there decorating this
selfsame tree! When did they take the decorations off from it?"

"Didn't take 'em off! I s--s--swiped it before there was any decorations
put on it."

The prosecutor was baffled. "How on earth could you decorate a tree when
you had stolen it, and there wasn't any tree there to decorate?" he
asked irritably.

"You don't understand," Sube explained desperately. "I s--swiped the
tree _for_ Nancy. The one that--that somebody else got for her wasn't
any good, and she asked me to get her a decent one; and I hunted all
over the woods and there wasn't a single one left that was any good, and
on the way home I saw this one, and--I didn't think any one would care,
so--I took it."

"Well? Where did you take it from?" pursued his relentless father.

Sube's voice died almost to a whisper as he replied, "From the
cemetery."

"What's that!" cried the amazed Mr. Cane. "The cemetery?"

Sube nodded guiltily.

"Good heavens, boy!" exclaimed his father. "Don't you know that it's a
crime to desecrate a cemetery lot?"

But before Sube could answer, his mother interceded.

"There; that'll do, Father! You seem to have lost sight of one thing."

Mr. Cane turned expectantly towards his wife.

"The boy has told the truth!" she declared, a little tremulously.

"Well, that's so-- So he has--that's commendable. That's the only
redeeming feature of this lamentable affair--"

"Never mind, Father; we can talk about that later. I want Sube to
understand how much we appreciate the fact that he has come to us and
told us the truth. Of course it was wrong for you to take the tree,
Sube, but since you have been so truthful about it, we shall help you to
make amends. Your father and I will do all in our power to set matters
right. I promise that for both of us."