education; and wants his
children to follow after her, and not be raised as ignorant as himself.
So perhaps the leaven in the lump will work. Only when he gets one of
his pig-headed streaks on, nobody in the world can influence him, Tony
admits."

"Poor Tony looked so mournful when he brought in our breakfast; I felt
bluer than ever just to see him," remarked Larry.

"Yes, the boy is really fond of us," Phil declared, with conviction in
his tone. "He can see further than his obstinate dad, and knows the
golden opportunity for a future is now in the grasp of McGee. He
dreads the result of passion blinding his father to everything else."

"So do I," asserted Larry, briskly. "I can't help thinking of what
Tony said about making that sheriff into a bird! What if they take a
notion to do us that way. Just imagine me with a nasty, sticky coat of
black tar; and then covered with downy feathers! Oh, my goodness!
Phil, however would I get it off again? Every inch of skin would come
with it."

"Well, don't get cold feet, Larry, whatever you do," remarked his chum;
though the gruesome picture Larry drew made him shut his teeth hard
together, and turn a trifle pale. "I'm in hopes that, no matter what
they do to me, they'll let you off, because you're not concerned in
this matter at all."

"Ain't I?" cried Larry, indignantly. "I'm your chum, I guess; and
what's good enough for you is ditto for me. If they hand you a new
coat, think I'm going to let 'em skip me in the bargain sale? Not for
Joseph! Not for a minute! Sink or swim, survive or perish, we're
pards, you and me, Phil. If you can stand it, sure I ought to; and
that's flat!"

Phil stretched out his hand, and squeezed that of his comrade. At any
rate it was worth something just to learn how loyal a chum he had;
though perhaps he might have fancied some other way of ascertaining the
fact.

"Seems to me there's a whole lot of excitement going on outside there!"
remarked Larry, suspiciously, some time later. "And I'm going to try
and see if I c'n get a squint at the same. Perhaps this is a holiday
for the McGees. Perhaps they're bent on having high jinks because they
expect to feast on that nice supply of civilized grub in our motor
boat. Oh! won't I just be glad if ever we get back to decent living
again. Hoe cake baked in ashes may be filling; but it don't strike me
just in the right spot; and especially after I've seen the old woman
who cooked i