olks. The world is unevenly divided, as mother often
says; some have too much for their own good; and others far too
little for comfort."

He presently arrived at his destination. The neighbor's horse, while
not at all fleet, was a steady goer, and Hugh had not allowed him to
"loaf on the job" so long as he could touch the whip to the animal's
broad back.

The sack of potatoes was soon tucked away in the back part of the big
sleigh. He also bundled some extra coverings about it, which he had
brought along with him, to prevent any chance of the precious tubers
freezing. A basket, with some other things, was also stowed away in
the back of the vehicle; after which the boy said good-night to the
farmer, and started on his return trip.

Hugh was about half-way home when something occurred to excite him
not a little, though at the time he did not even suspect what an
intimate relation it might have in connection with certain facts that
he and his chum had only recently been discussing at length.

His horse suddenly gave a series of snorts, and at the same time
shied to one side as if startled. Hugh gripped the lines tighter,
and strained his eyes to see what was wrong, while, perhaps, his
heart did start to beating faster than ordinary, although he could
not be said to be alarmed in the least, only excited.

A wavering figure started out toward him. Then Hugh discovered,
greatly to his surprise, that it was a woman, and that she held by
the hand a child of about five, a boy at that.

She tried to speak to him, but seemed overcome with weakness, as
though she might have been trudging along until exhausted by want of
food and the severe cold. Hugh guessed that possibly the couple must
have come out of a side road he had passed a few hundred feet back,
for they were certainly not there when he went by on the way to the
farmer's place.

He saw her stretch out her hand toward him, caught the feeble words,
"Help--my poor little boy!" and then, to Hugh's utter dismay, she
sank to the ground in a heap!

CHAPTER X

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS

Fortunately, Hugh was a lad equal to any occasion. Of course, he had
never had an experience like this before; but somehow he seemed to
understand that the first, indeed, only thing to be done, was to get
the woman and child in the sleigh some way or other, and then make
for home at breakneck speed.

So out he jumped, and, after considerable difficulty, managed to lift
the