oy
who longs to know what is going on in this big world, and kept back to
spend his life in a swamp. Why, we've got a few aboard here right now,
that you shall have when we say good-by to you."

Tony hardly knew whether he might be dreaming or hearing a blessed
truth. The look he bent on the kind-hearted Northern lad told how his
soul had been stirred by these totally unexpected acts of friendly
regard.

"That's awful good of you, sah!" he murmured, as his eyes dropped
again--perhaps because he felt them moist once more; and according to a
swamp boy's notions it was a silly thing to give way to weakness like
this.

"But whatever made you come up here, Tony, so far away from your home?"
Larry asked. "You must have known how the people in this town hated
your folks; and that if they found out you came from the McGee
settlement of squatters they'd make it hard for you."

"Yes, I knowed all that," replied the other, slowly; "but you see,
somebody jest had to come along with Madge; an' dad he dassent, 'case
they had it in foh him."

"Madge--that means your little sister, doesn't it, Tony?" queried Larry.

"Yep. She's jest so high, an' she's been blind a long time. Last year
a gent from the No'th that called hisself a professor, happened to git
lost in the swamps, and some of our folks they fetched him in. He was
took good care of, an' after a bit was guided out of the swamps. He
seen Madge, an' he told dad an' mam that if only she could be treated
by a friend o' his'n, who was a very great eye doctor up No'th, he
believed Madge, she'd git her sight back ag'in."

Phil started, and looked more closely at the boy as he heard this; but
he did not say anything, leaving it to his chum to learn all there was
to know about the mission of Tony from the swamps, to the town of those
who hated his clan so bitterly.

"And you brought your little blind sister all the way up here, did
you?" asked Larry, with a ring of real sympathy in his cheery voice.

"Sho! that want nawthin' much," declared the other, scornfully. "I had
a little dugout, which I paddled easy. I spected to stay 'roun' till
the doctor he kim, which was to be at a sartin day; but yuh see they
run me out. But I gotter a chanct to fix it all up. Madge, she's
stoppin' at the cabin o' a man dad used to know. His name is Badger,
an' he's got a boy Tom, jest my age."

"That's nice now," remarked Phil, taking a hand in the talk. "And is
she going to stay