fooling, you ought to have seen that old chap when
I came on him. He was all used up--heat, you know. There was a creek,
back a ways, and the water kind of pulled him up. He couldn't talk
English, but he offered me a black two-cent piece for pay. He turned
his pocket out to find it. That set me to thinking I'd make him a
little richer."

"Of course! Go on!" hurried Jot.

"Isn't any 'on.'"

"There's honor," Old Tilly cried softly. "I say that was splendid,
Kentie! I like that!"

Kent flushed uneasily. Old Tilly's face looked like father's when he
said his rare, hearty words of commendation.

"Well, the organ-grinder likes it, too!" Kent laughed. "Now he can have
something to eat. Poor old fellow! He couldn't have gone through all
those dooryards to save his life! He was 'most sunstruck. I told a
motherly old lady about him, at one of the houses, and she's going to be
on the lookout for him, and give him a snack of meat and bread."

They went on for half a mile quite silently. Then, without warning.
Jot suddenly began to laugh. He tumbled off his bicycle and collapsed
in a feeble heap.

"Don't anybody st-op me !" he cried. "It's dangerous! I'm having one o'
my 'attacks'!"

The others joined in, and, for a little, the woods rang with boyish
mirth.

"It was rich!" stammered Jot. "Passing the hat round capped it!"

"It was great!" laughed Old Tilly. "You're an actor, Kentie!"

"Me! What are you?"

"Well, I can't grind a hand-organ and pass round the hat like that!"

"I could!" Jot cried, suddenly sobering down and going through the
motions of turning a crank with airy ease. "It's 'most too easy for
me!"

The fun lasted until night. It was Saturday, and they rode until sunset
without further stops.

"We'll rest awhile and then go on by moonlight," Old Tilly said. "It
will be jolly and cool then. Besides, we don't want to be on the road
to-morrow. I promised mother I'd see that you all kept Sunday."

"And go to church ?" Jot said.

"Yes, and go to church, it there's one to go to anywhere," Old Tilly
rejoined quietly. "I told mother I'd see that you fellows went to
church quiet and nice, if possible. She put in the extra collars and
neckties on purpose."

A long rest, with a hearty lunch, and then they were off again in the
clear moonlight. It was splendid. The trees, the road, the pale,
ghostly houses--everything had a weird, charmed aspect. They might have
been riding throug