soon as he
left the place, I would hasten to the ground, follow him, and demand an
explanation. He might be armed, but I was, too--there were hard
characters at Bartley, and they knew my pocket-book was sometimes full.

Hole after hole that man bored; he made one join another until he had a
string of them ten inches long, or thereabouts; then he began another
string, right beside the first, and then another.

I saw that his bit went but six or seven inches deep, so that it did
not pierce the sill, and I could almost believe him in league with some
rival builder to ruin my reputation by turning over, next morning, a log
apparently sound, and showing it to be full of holes.

I didn't feel any better-natured, either, when I noticed that he had
carefully put a newspaper under where he was boring to catch all the
chips, and destroy any idea of the mischief having been done wilfully
and on the spot; but I determined I would follow him, and secure that
paper of chips as evidence.

Suddenly he stopped boring, and took a chisel from somewhere about his
clothes, and he soon chiseled that honeycombed spot into a single hole,
about five inches by ten, and six or seven inches deep.

It slowly dawned over me that perhaps his purpose wasn't malicious,
after all; and by the time I had reasoned the matter he helped me to a
conclusion by taking from his pocket a little flat package, which he put
into the hole.

It looked as if it might be papers, or something the size of folded
papers; but it was wrapped in something yellow and shiny--oil skin,
probably, to keep it from the damp. Then he drove a few little nails
inside the holes to keep the package from falling out when the sill was
turned over; and then he did something which I never saw mixed with
carpenter-work in my life--he stooped and kissed the package as it lay
in the hole, and then he knelt on the ground beside the sill, and I
could see by his face upturned in the moonlight, showing his closed eyes
and moving lips, that he was praying.

[Illustration: HE KNELT ON THE GROUND BESIDES THE SILL, AND I COULD SEE
THAT HE WAS PRAYING.]

Up to that moment I had been curious to know what was in that package;
but after what I saw then, I never thought of it without wanting to
utter a small prayer myself, though I never could decide what would be
the appropriate thing to say, seeing I knew none of the circumstances. I
am very particular not to give recommendations except where I