ean?" asked Billy.

"Yes, you are clean outside," said Wesley. "There is some dirty blood
in your body, and some bad words in your mouth, that we have to get out,
but that takes time. If we put right things to eat into your stomach
that will do away with the sores, and if you know that I don't like bad
words you won't say them any oftener than you can help, will you Billy?"

Billy leaned against Wesley in apparent indifference.

"I want to see me!" he demanded.

Wesley led the boy into the house, and lifted him to a mirror.

"My, I'm purty good-looking, ain't I?" bragged Billy. Then as Wesley
stooped to set him on the floor Billy's lips passed close to the big
man's ear and hastily whispered a vehement "No!" as he ran for the door.

"How long until supper, Margaret?" asked Wesley as he followed.

"You are going to keep him for supper?" she asked

"Sure!" said Wesley. "That's what I brought him for. It's likely he
never had a good square meal of decent food in his life. He's starved to
the bone."

Margaret arose deliberately, removed the white cloth from the supper
table and substituted an old red one she used to wrap the bread. She
put away the pretty dishes they commonly used and set the table with old
plates for pies and kitchen utensils. But she fried the chicken, and was
generous with milk and honey, snowy bread, gravy, potatoes, and fruit.

Wesley repainted the scratched wheel. He mended the fence, with Billy
holding the nails and handing the pickets. Then he filled the old hole,
digged a new one and set the hitching post.

Billy hopped on one foot at his task of holding the post steady as the
earth was packed around it. There was not the shadow of a trouble on his
little freckled face.

Sinton threw in stones and pounded the earth solid around the post. The
sound of a gulping sob attracted him to Billy. The tears were rolling
down his cheeks. "If I'd a knowed you'd have to get down in a hole, and
work so hard I wouldn't 'a' hit the horses," he said.

"Never you mind, Billy," said Wesley. "You will know next time, so you
can think over it, and make up your mind whether you really want to
before you strike."

Wesley went to the barn to put away the tools. He thought Billy was at
his heels, but the boy lagged on the way. A big snowy turkey gobbler
resented the small intruder in his especial preserves, and with spread
tail and dragging wings came toward him threateningly. If that turkey
gobbler had kno