in passing by something flung into your very arms, so to
speak. He had had no leisure to examine the bundle, and indeed took
little interest in it. Probably he stole it simply from force of habit,
and because there was nothing else in sight to steal, everybody's
premises being preternaturally tidy and empty, almost as if his visit
had been expected!

Rebecca was a practical child, and it seemed to her almost impossible
that so heavy a bundle should fall out of Mrs. Meserve's buggy and not
be noticed; but she hoped that Mr. Simpson was telling the truth, and
she was too glad and grateful to doubt anyone at the moment.

"Thank you, thank you ever so much, Mr. Simpson. You're the nicest,
kindest, politest man I ever knew, and the girls will be so pleased you
gave us back the flag, and so will the Dorcas Society; they'll be sure
to write you a letter of thanks; they always do."

"Tell em not to bother bout any thanks," said Simpson, beaming
virtuously. "But land! I'm glad twas me that happened to see that bundle
in the road and take the trouble to pick it up." ("Jest to think of it's
bein' a flag!" he thought; "if ever there was a pesky, wuthless thing to
trade off, twould be a great, gormin' flag like that!")

"Can I get out now, please?" asked Rebecca. "I want to go back, for Mrs.
Meserve will be dreadfully nervous when she finds out she dropped the
flag, and she has heart trouble."

"No, you don't," objected Mr. Simpson gallantly, turning the horse. "Do
you think I'd let a little creeter like you lug that great heavy bundle?
I hain't got time to go back to Meserve's, but I'll take you to the
corner and dump you there, flag n' all, and you can get some o' the
men-folks to carry it the rest o' the way. You'll wear it out, huggin'
it so!"

"I helped make it and I adore it!" said Rebecca, who was in a
high-pitched and grandiloquent mood. "Why don't YOU like it? It's your
country's flag."

Simpson smiled an indulgent smile and looked a trifle bored at these
frequent appeals to his extremely rusty higher feelings.

"I don' know's I've got any partic'lar int'rest in the country," he
remarked languidly. "I know I don't owe nothin' to it, nor own nothin'
in it!"

"You own a star on the flag, same as everybody," argued Rebecca, who had
been feeding on patriotism for a month; "and you own a state, too, like
all of us!"

"Land! I wish't I did! or even a quarter section!" sighed Mr. Simpson,
feeling somehow a little mor