I tell ye. Didn't know what to do. I says to Jabez, I says--"

Captain Obed interrupted. "Never mind what you said to Jabez, Win," he
said. "Why didn't you get back sooner? That's what we want to know."

Winnie S. was righteously indignant. "Sooner!" he repeated. "Judas
priest! I tell ye right now I'm lucky to get back at all. Took me pretty
nigh an hour to get to the village. Such travelin' I never see. Tried to
save time by takin' the short cut acrost the meadow, and there ain't no
meadow no more. It's three foot under water. You never see such a tide.
So back I had to frog it and when I got far as Jabe's house all hands
had turned in. I had to pretty nigh bust the door down 'fore I could
wake anybody up. Then Jabe he had to get dressed and we had to harness
up and--hey? Did you say anything, ma'am?"

The question was addressed to Mrs. Barnes, who had been vainly trying to
ask one on her own account.

"I say have you got our valises?" asked Thankful. "Last I saw of them
they was in that other wagon, the one that broke down."

The driver slapped his knee. "Judas priest!" he cried. "I forgot all
about them satchels. Here, Jabe," handing the reins to his companion.
"You take the hellum while I run back and fetch 'em."

He was back in a few moments with the missing satchels. Then Jabez,
who was evidently not given to wasting words, drawled: "Did you get the
mail? That's in there, too, ain't it?"

"Judas priest! So 'tis. Why didn't you remind me of it afore? Set there
like--like a wooden figurehead and let me run my legs off--"

His complaints died away in the distance. At last, with the mail bag
under the seat, the caravan moved on. It was still raining, but not
so hard, and the wind blew less fiercely. They jogged and rocked and
splashed onward. Suddenly Winnie S. uttered another shout.

"The lantern!" he cried. "Where's that lantern I lent ye?"

"It's there in the house," said Thankful. "It burned itself out and I
forgot it. Mercy on us! You're not goin' back after that, I hope."

"Well, I dunno. That lantern belongs to the old man--dad, I mean--and he
sets a lot of store by it. If I've lost that lantern on him, let alone
leavin' his depot-wagon all stove up, he'll give me--"

"Never mind what he'll give you," broke in Captain Bangs. "You keep on
your course or I'LL give you somethin'. Don't you say another word till
we get abreast of Hannah Parker's."

"Humph! We're there now. I thought these folks was goi