"No," said Elizabeth, weakly, "not many miles; but I hadn't any more
bread. I used it all up yesterday, and there wasn't much money left. I
thought I could wait till I got here, but I guess I'm hungry."

"Fer the land sakes!" ejaculated Mrs. Brady as she hustled out to the
kitchen, and clattered the frying-pan onto the stove, shoving the boiler
hastily aside. She came in presently with a steaming cup of tea, and made
the girl drink it hot and strong. Then she established her in the big
rocking-chair in the kitchen with a plate of appetizing things to eat, and
went on with her washing, punctuating every rub with a question.

Elizabeth felt better after her meal, and offered to help, but the
grandmother would not hear to her lifting a finger.

"You must rest first," she said. "It beats me how you ever got here. I'd
sooner crawl on me hands and knees than ride a great, scary horse."

Elizabeth sprang to her feet.

"The horse!" she said. "Poor fellow! He needs something to eat worse than
I did. He hasn't had a bite of grass all this morning. There was nothing
but hard roads and pavements. The grass is all brown, anyway, now. I found
some cornstalks by the road, and once a man dropped a big bundle of hay
out of his load. If it hadn't been for Robin, I'd never have got here; and
here I've sat enjoying my breakfast, and Robin out there hungry!"

"Fer the land sakes!" said the grandmother, taking her arms out of the
suds and looked troubled. "Poor fellow! What would he like? I haven't got
any hay, but there's some mashed potatoes left, and what is there? Why,