hley and his wife, to be kicked and cuffed by them any
longer."

Flora was thoughtful; but I knew she would not have come with me if she
had believed it was wrong to do so. We were all silent till we reached
the verge of the swamp, where the small raft lay. We unloaded the
wheelbarrow, and Sim went back for the rest of the articles. I placed my
sister's bed on the raft, and taking her in my arms, I laid her upon
it, and covered her with blankets, that the night air might not injure
her. I then pushed the raft over to the branch of the creek.

"Is that the raft?" exclaimed Flora, as I pointed it out to her.

"That's it; and I am sure you will be happier on board of it than at
Fishley's."

"The house looks real nice! There is the stove-pipe. You have one glass
window."

"Yes; that is in your room," I replied, as I ran the tender alongside
the great raft.

I fastened it securely, and helped Flora on board. She was almost as
much delighted with my handiwork as I had been myself. I conveyed her
bed to her apartment, and placed it in the bunk. It was not a bad fit.

"Now, Flora, I must leave you, and go for the rest of the things. You
can lie down in your bed, and I will cover you with blankets."

"I'm not cold. Shall you be gone long?" she asked.

"No."

"This is a very dismal place."

"You shall be on the broad river in the morning."

She lay down, and I left her to meet Sim at the landing-place. He had
arrived before me, and we loaded all the rest of the goods on the raft.

"What shall I do with the wheelbarrow?" asked Sim.

"Take it up into the open field, where they can see it. It might lie in
the swamp for a year before any one found it; and I don't mean to take a
single thing from Fishley. I carried back the saw I borrowed, and bought
a new one. I don't owe him anything now," I replied.

"I reckon he'll wonder where you and Miss Flora are, when he gets back,"
said Sim, with one of his broad grins.

"Let him wonder. I shall not charge him anything for wondering."

"I s'pose not," chuckled Sim, as he went off with the wheelbarrow.

While he was gone, I amused myself in picking up a quantity of dry wood
on the high ground for the stove, which I placed upon the raft. As soon
as Sim returned, we pushed off, and made our last trip through the
swamp. When we arrived at the raft, I found Flora had got up, and was
walking about the platform. She was so nervous she could not lie in bed.
I placed her chair i