we should not be
disturbed by any possible passer-by. Sim looked piteously sad and
sorrowful; he glanced wistfully at the paper bag, and seemed to begrudge
every moment of delay. At the tree, I took out the contents of the bag,
and spread them on the log. Sim's eyes dilated till they were like a
pair of saucers, and an expression of intense satisfaction lighted up
his dull features.

"Go in, Sim," said I, as soon as I had spread the table for him.

"Thank you, Buck! You are a good fellow," replied he, warmly. "I knowed
you'd help me, and that's what I wanted to see you for."

I thought it would be cruel to interrupt an operation so agreeable to
him as that of eating, and I asked no questions. He looked grateful, and
satisfactorily demonstrated that the proof of the pudding is in the
eating. Though I was amused at his greediness, and enjoyed his appetite
almost as much as he did himself, I did not wish to embarrass him; and,
mounting the fallen tree, I walked upon its trunk so far from him that
it was not convenient for him to speak to me. He had it all his own way;
for I think it is mean to watch a hungry boy when he is eating, or to
take note of the quantity he consumes.

From my position I could see the stream, and the pile of lumber over
which I had moralized. I could not help thinking that something must be
done with those refuse logs and boards. I cannot exactly explain how it
was, but that pile of senseless lumber seemed, in some indefinite
manner, to connect itself with my affairs at the house. The thrashing I
had just received from my two masculine tyrants assured me that I was no
match for both of them. In a word, it was strongly impressed upon my
mind that I could not stay in Torrentville much longer.

I had a taste for river scenery. Every night, when I went for the mail,
I used to see the steamboat on the river; and I often thought I should
be "made" if I could make a trip in her. Ever since my brother wrote
that he should take us down to New Orleans in the fall, I had looked
forward with intense joy to the voyage down the river. In a smaller way
my raft had afforded me a great deal of pleasure on the waters of the
swamp, though the swift current did not permit me to embark on the
stream.

Perhaps the decided course of Sim Gwynn in leaving his disagreeable
situation had some influence upon my reflections. I had often thought of
doing the same thing myself, and only my poor sister had prevented me
from