lle," said
Shorty. "Mill-wheels ain't in it with your tongue, when it gits fairly
started."

The train was on time, and just as the sun was setting behind the fringe
of cottonwoods along Bean Blossom Creek they stopped at the little
station, and started to walk out to the farm. A neighbor who was drawing
a load of tile from the station recognized Si, and begged them to get
up and ride, but the team was too slow for the impatient boys, and they
forged ahead. A thousand well-remembered objects along the road would
have arrested Si's attention were it not for the supreme interest
farther on. At last they came to a little rise of ground which commanded
a view of the house, and there, as Si predicted, sat his father and
mother engaged in smoking, reading and knitting. His first impulse was
to yell with delight, but he restrained himself, and walked as steadily
on as he could to the front gate. Old Towser set up a bark and ran down
the walk, and then changed his note to de lightful yelps of recognition.
Si was so nervous that he fumbled vainly for a minute at the gate-latch,
and while he did so he heard his mother say: "Father, there's a couple
o' soldiers out there." "Wonder if they kin be from Si's company," said
the father, lowering his paper, and looking over his spectacles.

[Illustration: "FATHER, THERE'S A COUPLE OF SOLDIERS OUT THERE." 159]

"Why, it's Si himself," screamed the mother in joyful accents. The next
instant she had sped down the walk quicker than she had ever gone in
her girlhood days, her arms about his neck, and she was crying on his
shoulder.

CHAPTER XIII. MANY HAPPY EVENTS

HOURS THAT WERE ALL-TOO-FEW AND ALL-TOO-SHORT.

THE girls heard their mother's happy scream and rushed out, dish towels
in hand. They at once realized what had happened, piped up their joyous
altos, and precipitated themselves upon Si. The good old Deacon came
trotting down the walk, fidgeting with his spectacles, but so enveloped
was his son with skirts and women's arms and happy, teary faces that he
could not get within arm's length of him. So he turned to Shorty:

"Great day, Shorty, but I'm glad to see you! Come right up on the steps
and set down. How'd you happen to come home. Either of you sick or
wounded?"

"Nope," answered Shorty sententiously. "Both sound as nuts and healthy
as mules."

"Well, come right up on the porch and set down. You must be awful tired.
Le'me carry your gun and things for you."

He t