silence. Janey still lingered.

"Davey," she asked in an awed whisper, "does it feel nice to be
wicked?"

David shook his head non-committally.

CHAPTER V

The rather strained relations between Jud and David were eased the
next day by the excitement attending the big package Barnabas brought
from town. It was addressed to David, but the removal of the outer
wrapping disclosed a number of parcels neatly labeled, also a note
from Joe, asking him to distribute the presents.

David first selected the parcel marked "Janey" and handed it to her.

"Blue beads!" she cried ecstatically.

"Let me see, Janey," said M'ri. "Why, they're real turquoises and with
a gold clasp! I'll get you a string of blue beads for now, and you can
put these away till you're grown up."

"I didn't tell Joe what to get for you, Aunt M'ri; honest, I didn't,"
disclaimed David, with a laugh, as he handed the freezer to her.

"We'll initiate it this very day, David."

David handed Barnabas his pipe and gave Jud a letter which he opened
wonderingly, uttering a cry of pleasure when he realized the
contents.

"It's an order on Harkness to let me pick out any rifle in his store.
How did he know? Did you tell him, Dave?"

"Yes," was the quiet reply.

"Thank you, Dave. I'll ride right down and get it, and we'll go to the
woods this afternoon and shoot at a mark."

"All right," agreed David heartily.

The atmosphere was now quite cleared by the proposed expenditure of
ammunition, and M'ri experienced the sensation as of one beholding a
rainbow.

David then turned his undivided attention to his own big package,
which contained twelve books, his name on the fly-leaf of each.
Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, Andersen's Fairy Tales,
Arabian Nights, Life of Lincoln, Black Beauty, Oliver Twist, A
Thousand Leagues under the Sea, The Pathfinder, Gulliver's Travels,
Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Young Ranchers comprised the selection. His
eyes gleamed over the enticing titles.

"You shall have some book shelves for your room, David," promised
M'ri, "and you can start your library. Joe has made a good foundation
for one."

His eyes longed to read at once, but there were still the two
packages, marked "Uncle Larimy" and "Miss Rhody," to deliver.

"I can see that Uncle Larimy has a fishing rod, but what do you
suppose he has sent Rhody?" wondered M'ri.

"A black silk dress. I told him she wanted one."

"Take it right over there, David. S