in this fashion, since the
cost would fall upon someone else.

"We ought to have some corn for Rockefeller too, if we can manage it,"
said Nealie rather anxiously. She knew that it was the poorest sort of
economy to let the good horse go underfed, and ungrateful as well,
seeing what a useful beast it had been. But corn for horses was a
tremendous price in most of the little towns through which they had
passed, and food for Rockefeller had become a very big item in the
expenses.

"Want some corn for the hoss, did you say?" demanded Mr. Callaghan in a
breezy tone. "Well, I don't know as I can't let you have half a bushel
free, gratis, and for nothing, as they say in the old country. My wagon
is in the town now, I believe, and the corn is in it safe enough, unless
someone has stolen it, which isn't likely."

A queer, choky feeling came into the throat of Nealie as she drove Rocky
along the main street of Pomeroy, with Mr. Callaghan riding on ahead.
How kind people were to them! Of course she did not know that in common
decency Tim Callaghan should have paid Rumple fifteen shillings or a
sovereign for the service rendered in caring for the cattle, and that he
also should have paid something towards the damage sustained in the
overturning of the wagon. Ignorance was certainly bliss in her case, and
she esteemed the Irishman a benefactor indeed, when as a matter-of-fact
he was doing his level best to shuffle out of his obligations.

However, he beat Gil Addington's prices down to a figure so low that
Nealie worried considerably as to whether she would not be a party to a
fraud if she took the goods at Mr. Callaghan's valuation, and was not
even consoled when he whispered to her in a loud aside that Gil was
quite sharp enough to make the next customer run up his profits for
him.

Still, it was an amazing comfort to find the provision box full once
more, to know that there was enough corn to last Rocky to the end of the
journey, and to feel that she had still a little money left in her
purse. On shipboard there had seemed to be no anxieties at all, but ever
since landing she had carried a very heavy load indeed.

There were a good many miles yet to travel, and the worst of it was
that, although they had a very good map of the route, which Mr. Wallis
had marked for them, they had several times made mistakes, and had gone
miles out of their way in consequence. And in a journey like theirs such
things tell seriously in the