[Illustration]

He walked over to the fireplace, where he stood with his back to the
room.

"He misses Nancy," said Dennis bluntly, "the same as the rest of us.
Then Tom has been gone for quite a spell."

Sally put her hand on Abe's shoulder. "I'm scared. Do you reckon
something has happened to Pappy? Isn't he ever coming back?"

Abe stared into the fire. He was thinking of the wolves and panthers
loose in the woods. There were many dangers for a man riding alone over
the rough forest paths. The boy wanted to say something to comfort
Sally, but he had to tell the truth. "I don't know, I--"

He stopped to listen. Few travelers passed by their cabin in the winter,
but he was sure that he heard a faint noise in the distance. It sounded
like the creak of wheels. The noise came again--this time much closer. A
man's voice was shouting: "Get-up! Get-up!"

"Maybe it's Pappy!" Abe pushed aside the bearskin and rushed outside.
Sally and Dennis were right behind him.

"It _is_ Pappy," Sally cried. "But look--"

Tom Lincoln had left Pigeon Creek on horseback. He was returning in a
wagon drawn by four horses. He was not alone. A strange woman sat beside
him, holding a small boy in her lap. Two girls, one about Sally's age,
the other about eight, stood behind her. The wagon was piled high with