er the other night?"

"No," said Hetty.

"Well, I was afraid she did. Give a dog a bad name, you know, and he
never gets rid of it."

"But, Jim, you don't mean to speak of yourself that way?" said Hetty.

"Yes, I do; people believe anything of me, and I half the time get the
credit of doing things that never came into my head."

"I only heard a little about Miss Martin's fright; some one chased her,
I believe."

"Yes, Sam Tompkins made believe he was a tramp, and scared her 'most out
of her wits. He ought to have been shot. I licked him when I heard he
had tried to make out it was me who did it, and I'll lick him again,
too."

"Oh, don't, Jim; you had better forget all about it."

"Indeed I won't; I mean to make him repent it. See here, Hetty, I've got
some tickets for the concert. Don't you want to go?"

"Don't I?" said Hetty; "I guess I do; but I can't, you know."

"Why not?"

"Oh, I am not big enough yet," said Hetty, blushing.

"Now I'll tell you what I'll do. If you will ask Miss Martin to go, I'll
take you both, for, you see, I want to be sure that she doesn't hold any
ill-will against me; and if she goes, all the people hereabouts will
know that I was not the mean sneaking coward who tried to frighten her."

"All right," said Hetty. "I understand; and I will go on now as fast as
I can, and coax Miss Martin to go."

"Let me know what she says when you come back, and I'll get the horse
hitched, for father said he'd let me have the wagon."

"I will," said Hetty, already hastening on her way.

The teacher was sitting in rather a lonely and dejected mood at her
window as Hetty's bright face appeared before her. She was a young girl,
with soft brown eyes and a patient expression. It was her first
experience at district-school teaching, and she found it laborious.
Hetty soon told her errand, and in her eagerness so mixed up the concert
and the custard and Matilda Ann's new bonnet that Miss Martin was
bewildered, but after a while made out what it all meant.

"So James Stokes wants me to go to the concert?"

"Yes, ma'am, and me too."

"Have you permission?"

"I'll get it, Miss Martin. I'm sure mother'll say 'yes,' and I sha'n't
tell any one but her. I want to surprise Matilda Ann, and I will get
ready and come here, so that Jim Stokes needn't go to our house."

"Please thank your mother kindly, Hetty, for the custard; it is so nice.
And tell James I shall be happy to go. I knew he was not the on