new friend and said:

"Mr. Wright, I never wished that I lived in a palace until now."

He didn't notice me until I held up both feet and called: "Look a'
there, Uncle Peabody."

Then he came and took me out of the buggy and I saw the tears in his
eyes when he kissed me.

The man told of finding me on his little veranda, and I told of my ride
with Dug Draper, after which Uncle Peabody said:

"I'm goin' to put in your hoss and feed him, Comptroller."

"And I'm goin' to cook the best dinner I ever cooked in my life," said
Aunt Deel.

I knew that my new friend must be even greater than the Dunkelbergs, for
there was a special extravagance in their tone and manner toward him
which I did not fail to note. His courtesy and the distinction of his
address, as he sat at our table, were not lost upon me, either. During
the meal I heard that Dug Draper had run off with a neighbor's horse and
buggy and had not yet returned. Aunt Deel said that he had taken me with
him out of spite, and that he would probably never come back--a
suspicion justified by the facts of history.

When the great man had gone Uncle Peabody took me in his lap and said
very gently and with a serious look: