high on other side of the road, which seemed like a narrow crack
winding through them. Ollie reached out and gathered a handful of
the drooping yellow blossoms. The pony was tied behind carrying
her big saddle, and tossing her head about, and showing that she
was very suspicious of the whole proceedings, and especially
of a small flag which Ollie had fastened to the top of the
wagon-cover, which fluttered in the fresh morning breeze. Snoozer
slept on and never stirred. At last the road came to the river,
and then followed close along beside its bank, which was only a
foot or so high. Ollie was interested in watching the long grass
which grew in the bottom of the stream and was brushed all in one
direction by the sluggish current, like the silky fur of some
animal. After a while we came to a gravelly place which was a
ford, and crossed the stream, stopping to let the horses drink.
The water was only a foot deep. As we came up on the higher
ground beyond the river we met the south wind squarely, and it
came in at the front of the cover with a rush. We heard a sharp
flutter behind, and then the wagon gave a shiver and a lurch, and
the horses stopped; then there was another shock and lurch, and
it rolled back a few inches.

"There," exclaimed Jack, "some of those wheels have begun to
turn backward! I told you!"

I looked back. Our puckering-string had given way, and the
rear of the cover had blown out loosely. This had been more than
the pony could stand, and she had broken her rope and run back a
dozen rods, where she stood snorting and looking at the wagon.

"First accident!" I cried. "She'll run home, and we'll have