, for pity's sake!"

Cynthia Ann Flemming, who lived on the other side of the spruce hedge,
now came hurrying over.

"Good evening, Cordelia. I have a letter that was left with me for
you."

"But--that--horse," said Miss Cordelia, with a long breath between
every word. "Where did he come from? Tied at my front door--and he's
eaten the tops off every one of my geraniums! Where's his owner or
rider or something?"

The horse in question was a mild-eyed, rather good-looking quadruped,
tied by a halter to the elm at Miss Cordelia's door and contentedly
munching a mouthful of geranium stalks. Cynthia Ann came through the
hedge with the letter.

"Maybe this will explain," she said. "Same boy brought it as brought
the horse--a little freckly chap mostly all grin and shirtsleeves.
Said he was told to take the letter and horse to Miss Cordelia Herry,
Elm Street, Point Pleasant, and he couldn't wait. So he tied the
creature in there and left the letter with me. He came half an hour
ago. Well, he has played havoc with your geraniums and no mistake."

Miss Cordelia opened and read her letter. When she finished it she
looked at the curious Cynthia Ann solemnly.

"Well, if that isn't John Drew all over! I suspected he was at the
bottom of it as soon as I laid my eyes on that animal. John Drew is a
cousin of mine. He's been living out at Poplar Valley and he writes me
that he has gone out west, and wants me to take 'old Nap.' I suppose
that is the horse. He says that Nap is getting old and not much use
for work and he couldn't bear the thought of shooting him or selling
him to someone who might ill-treat him, so he wants me to take him and
be kind to him for old times' sake. John and I were just like brother
and sister when we were children. If this isn't like him nothing ever
was. He was always doing odd things and thinking they were all right.
And now he's off west and here is the horse. If it were a cat or a
dog--but a horse!"

"Your four-acre field will come in handy now," said Cynthia Ann
jestingly.

"So it will." Miss Cordelia spoke absently. "The very thing! Yes, I'll
put him in there."

"But you don't really mean that you're going to keep the horse, are
you?" protested Cynthia Ann. "Why, he is no good to you--and think of
the expense of feeding him!"

"I'll keep him for a while," said Miss Cordelia briskly. "As you say,
there is the four-acre field. It will keep him in eating for a while.
I always knew that fiel