Year: 1874

nended and rellglOusly believed by Rich, but which sets my head in whirl even to think of.

 Somehow, the book was not so inter esting as before, and when he had seer Jack Mainsel safely stewed away in { hammock, swung on board vesse bound for the North Pole, he laid il down with yawn.

 Where's Will?"

 "He went over to stay with Charlie Case tonight" MT. Thorne answered.

 "Yes," Rich thought, indignantly Che can go off galivanting, and have to stay at home and do the work Yet on the whcle he wasn't sorry, fol Will was his bedfellow, and hadn't he been wondering how he should get away from him? Truly the fates were propitious.

 It was hardly eight o'clock when Rich got up and walked to tho fire, stretching and opening his mouth wide ever so many times. Very poor imita- tions those "sleepy symptoms" were, too. Then he took Q candle from the mantel and marched out into the hall and up stairs without word.

 He didn't go to bed, oh. no. In the first place he took his new satchel-his fathers gift-down from it's nail on the wall, and proceeded to "pack up" such things as he thought he might want on the voyage-he was to be a sailor, you know. 1 wish you could have seen him. The thermometer on the back porch said-six degrees below zero, and when Rich had been up stairs five minutes, his teeth were chattering like magpie's, if you know how that is. And the "necessaries" he put into that satchell First was his "loudest" neck tie-I must beg of you not to smile that necktie, combination of yellow and purple silk, was the delight of Rich's existence. I fancy he would have left his head behind sooner than it then silver pin his uncle had given him-a pair of white cotton gloves, which he had worn to Sunday school in the summer-thirty. five cents in cash- present-his go-to-meeting suit, and 8 bottle of liniment which happened to be on the table. That was all. little nervous frightened - whatever fully, shaking the house, Rich thought, as though 8 giant had laid his two strong hands on the ridge-pole and rocked the building as @ woman would a cradle. The blinds rattled and the windows shook. Altogether it wasn't very pleasant night for Rich's experi- ence in running away.

 It seemed such long time before tho welcome sound of the andiron, scraping over the brick hearth as MT. Thorne prepared to "rake up" the fires reached his ears, but in little while, all was still. Rich grasped his satchel. Now was his time.

 He might have gone down stairs and out of the front door in the orthodox fashion, without detection. But no |; that wouldn't do. Jack got out of a window on to a shed, and out of the window on to 0 shed he must get. He tugged away at the stubborn sash until his hands were scraped and his fingers blue and cold, when he suddenly recol- lected that he hadn't pressed the spring. Somebody said something that savored strongly of birthstone, as the window slid up.

 Goodness how the wind blew. It made him gasp and catch his breath and gasp again. He got out on the shed without much difficulty, and managed to stand very we'll by holding fast to the window-sill, but how was he to get down? The roof was steep, and owing to Q recent sleety rain, very slippery. Ho soon found he could not regulate the movements of both his satchel and himself, so he let the former "slide,"

 Bump It struck the ground below with @ queer, dull little crash, and Rich immediately bethought himself of the liniment.

 "There. clear forgot that greasy stuff! !" he calculated. "It'll spoil my necktie, sure, if it gets on to it, and my suit, too. I'll have to go down my self and see to it." as if going down was the simplest thing in the world to do-"likes not they'll have to all be taken out."

 Rich let go of the window.

 Easy, now-e.a-s-y l"

 But it was quite too late to be "easy clattering, pitching, tumbling down the boards for dear life.

 It seemed to him the frozen ground flew up to meet him. Something struck his arm heavy blow. He groped around for his satchel, but he couldn't find it. His head felt cold and dull, and when he put his hand up to it something dripped down his fingers. Everything began to swim about him, blending into mass of blackness. Then he tainted.

 

 Freeze? No indeed, although I'm not quite sure but he deserved to. When he came to himself, he was lying on the lounge in the sitting room. His arm pained him dreadfully. The doc tor was there and his father looking very grave. His mother had been cry ing. Rich wondered what for, but somehow he didn't feel like asking questions, so he shut his eyes and turned his face to the wall.

 For two long months Rich kept his cut in his head, and then till the broken arm should knit. During the latter part of the time, you may be sure he had abundant leisure for reflection. One day when he could just sit up, Will brought in 8 new sled.

 "There, Rich. That's what I was making for your birthday present the week you-you-tu tumbled off the shed. ]"

 And Rich turned toward the wall again. He didn't care to look any enc in the face just then. What was the reason I wonder ?

 Not word was said to Rich about that little tumble. His father thought he had been punished quite enough. But when he got down stairs and out of doors he took it upon himself to do the "chores" for year as peace-work, :" he said.

 Now, the year is more than up but still he brings wood and water without a grumble, and Katy, the maid of all work, often says, "It's raal wonderful wat a power O good that broken arm O your'n did do, Rich."