can shoot them over his
dog," continued David.

"O, he does! When is he going to begin? He has been here more than a
year, and nobody has ever heard of his killing a quail yet. He must
keep his fingers out of this pie. We can't put up with any
interference from him. Any more bad news?" added Don, seeing that
David's face had not yet wholly cleared up.

"Yes, there is," replied the latter, speaking rapidly, for fear that
his courage might desert him again. "Just after you left me this
morning, Silas Jones rode up and dunned me for eight dollars that
father owes him."

"Why, you have nothing to do with that," said Bert.

"Nothing whatever," chimed in Don. "You tell Mr. Jones that if he
wants his money he had better hunt up your father and ask him for it.
You don't owe him anything, do you?"

"No, but he says that if I don't settle that bill, he'll never let me
have a thing at his store again unless I have the money in my hand to
pay for it. I haven't a cent of my own, and I thought if you could
let me have the ten dollars you promised me for breaking the pointer,
I should be much obliged to you."

"If I would do what?" asked Don, in amazement.

"Why, David," said Bert, "the money was all paid to you in less than
twenty-four hours after the dog was placed in your keeping."

"Paid to me?" gasped David.

"Well, no, not to you, but to your order."

"To my order!" repeated the boy, who began to think he was dreaming.

"Yes, to your order," said Don. "We left the pointer in your hands at
noon, while you were at dinner. In less than an hour afterward, Dan
came over and said that you wanted five dollars to buy a dress for
your mother, and Bert gave him the money. The next forenoon your
father met me at the landing and told me you wanted the other five to
buy some medicine for your mother, who was ill with the ague, and I
gave it to him, and I just know I made a mess of it," added Don,
bringing his hands together with a loud slap.

It was plain from the looks of David's face that he had. The boy
listened with eyes wide open, his under jaw dropping down and his
face growing pale, as the duplicity of which his father and brother
had been guilty was gradually made plain to him, and when at last his
mind grasped the full import of Don's words, he covered his face with
his hands and cried aloud. Don and Bert looked at him in surprise,
and then turned and looked at each other. They who had never wanted
for the necessiti