y, and sprained his shoulder besides. But when he shook
himself together, and got somebody to tie up his head, he found that
the train would be seven hours behind time on account of that
smash-up. And that kid just started off on foot. He walked all the
rest of the night, and, when he got to the town where he was to leave
the papers, he was so near done for that he had to hire a hack to haul
him up to the man's house. It turned out that he got there just in
time to save the stranger a big lot of property in some way or
another, and the man said he'd been looking for years for a boy like
that, who could be faithful to a trust, and now that he'd found him he
intended to stand by him. I think it was real brave of Chicky to go
all that way in the dark, all alone on a strange road. I'll bet it
will be in all the papers."

[Illustration]

"And I'll bet he'll get the bicycle now," said Ab, gloomily, as he sat
down on the wheel-barrow and kicked his heels against it. "I feel it
in my bones. All my summer's work's gone for nothing."

"I wanted it awfully bad, too," said Todd, with a sigh and a sudden
clouding of his bright little face. "Of course, I'd be glad for Chicky
to have it, when he hasn't any home or nothing, but I've worked _so_
hard for it, and I can't help feeling disappointed."

All the way home his heart felt as heavy as lead, and, when he came in
sight of the little tumble-down cottage, his eyes were blurred with
tears for a moment.

"Todd, dear," called his mother, running out to meet him, "guess who
has been here. It was Judge Parker's wife. Yes, I know all about your
secret now. She told me the men have finally decided that Luke Wiggins
has won the wheel. But she is so disappointed on your account, and
told me so many nice things that people have said about you that I
just sat down and cried. I was so proud and happy. And, Todd, what do
you think she left here for you to take care of? She'll pay you well
for doing it, and it will be yours to use just as if it were your
own,--a pony! A beautiful little Shetland pony. It was her little
grandson's, and they have kept it since he died, because they could
not bear to part with anything he had been so fond of. Now they are
going away from Bardstown for a long, long time. They have been
looking around for somebody to take care of it, and they say they
would rather trust it to you than any one they know. You can have it
to pet and love and use just as long as you