the heart. "I thought we were going to find that little girl
and hurry with her to Isabel's camp? This tramping stuff will merely
cause us to lose time."

"We're not going to lose any time. I'm as anxious to be on with the
business as you are; but we're not going to make a mess of it. I've got
some ideas I don't dare tell you about; you might get panicky and run!
Steady, Archie, and trust the Governor."

Trusting the Governor had been much easier while they were traveling in
fast motors or in parlor cars. The trolley with its frequent stops, the
proneness of the plain folk to lunch upon bananas and peanuts and cast
the skins and shells thereof upon the floor pained Archie greatly.

The first night they slept in a barn, without leave, begged a breakfast
and walked until Archie cried for mercy.

"What's a blistered foot more or less!" cried the Governor, producing
an ointment which he forthwith applied with tenderest solicitude.

From his ingenuity in foraging and the philosophy with which he accepted
the day's vicissitudes, Archie judged that his companion was by no means
new to the road. He showed the greatest familiarity with the region they
traversed, avoiding farmhouses where no generosity could be expected by
the tramping fraternity, leading the way through quiet woods to
"swimming holes" where they bathed and solaced their souls. They must
not get ahead of their schedule, he explained. When Archie, knowing
nothing of schedules, timidly asked questions the Governor, feigning not
to hear, would deliver long lectures on Ohio history, praising the
pioneers of the commonwealth, and enthusiastically reciting the public
services of her statesmen.

At the end of the fourth day as they kicked their heels against the pier
of a bridge that spanned the Sandusky, watching the stars slip into
their places in the soft tender sky, the Governor's quick ear detected
the step of a pedestrian approaching from the west.

"Unless we've missed a turn somewhere, that's Perky. A punctual chap;
this is the exact time and place for our meeting and he should bear
tidings of interest in our affairs."

The man, who was dressed like a farm laborer, responded carelessly to
the Governor's greeting, and swung himself to a seat beside him on the
abutment.

"The young brother knows the wisdom of silence," remarked the Governor,
laying his hand on Archie's knee. "It's a pleasure to bring you two
together. He and I follow the leading of the s