really have been better, for the distance was not so great.

Although he laughed, he felt a little humiliated. How Tom Selden, and
indeed everybody, would laugh if they knew it!

But there was no need to tell everybody, and so when he telegraphed the
fact to Harvey, he enjoined secrecy. He knew he could trust Harvey.

And now he became anxious about Jim. Would he be able to borrow a mule,
and would he come?

Every few minutes he went to the door and listened for the sound of
approaching hoofs, but nothing was to be heard but the low snoring of
Aunt Judy, who was fast asleep in a chair by the fireplace.

While thus waiting, a happy thought came into Harry's head. He opened
the messages--he had a right to do that, of course, as he was an
operator and had undertaken to transmit them--and he telegraphed them,
one by one, to Harvey, with instructions to him to send them back to
him.

"They shall come over the creek on our line, anyway," said Harry to
himself.

It did not take long to send them and to receive them again, for there
were only three of them. Then Harvey sent a message, congratulating
Harry on this happy idea, and also suggested that he, Harvey, should now
ride home, as it was getting late, and it was not likely that there
would be any more business that night.