rue, eagerly, laying her little hand
upon Hi's arm.

"Guess I do. Ain't I been to the deepot times 'nough?" was the confident
reply. "You jest come 'long with me, Prue, an' I tell ye we'll find your
Randy. I'm bigger'n you be 'n I know."

"When will we go, Hi?" asked Prue, now confident that her little champion
could take her safely to Randy.

"Now," said Hi, "right off now. I don't know my lessons, so I don't want
ter go back ter school, an' teacher's a ringin' the bell this minute. Pick
up yer lunch basket, I've got some cookies I hooked out 'n the cupboard
an' a big apple that Belindy gave me, an' we'll eat 'em when we're in the
cars." So the two children trudged down the road; Prue happier than she
had been for days because of the delightful prospect of seeing Randy, and
Hi, knowing that he was naughty in staying away from school, but easing
his little conscience by thinking that he was comforting Prue.

It was true that he was larger than Prue, but they were of the same age,
and as unlike as two children could possibly be.

Prue was lovely in face and disposition, small of her age and graceful in
her movements. Hi was a plain, sturdy looking country boy; stubborn, full
of mischief and large for a boy of six.

Down the road they walked, a resolute little pair; Prue chattering and
laughing, Hi rather silent until well out of sight of the schoolhouse,
when his spirits rose and he cheered the way by telling his little
companion wonderful tales of the delights of a journey in the cars.

Having twice enjoyed a long car ride, he considered himself quite a
traveled personage, and he continued to enlarge upon the pleasures of the
trip to Boston until Prue's eyes danced, and she skipped along the road
unable from sheer delight to walk without an occasional little hop.

"If we stay with Randy, we won't have ter go ter school," said Hi, "an'
you'n me can play all day."

"And see my Randy every day," said Prue, "and oh, Hi, you don't know how
lovely she looked in her new clothes she had to go to Boston with."

"Randy looked nice in anything," said Hi, "and I'll like ter see her, but
the best of it is, I ain't er goin' ter school. I hate school, anyway."

"I like school when my Randy's in it, but I don't like anything where my
Randy isn't," said Prue, stoutly, "and now we're going to see her."

As she danced along, her hand tightly clasping that of her companion, she
hummed merrily, and Hi accompanied her with a disc