carefully tucked the bill under the old cushion before he took his seat.

"Ill give it back to him, that's cert'in," he said, picking up the
reins, "and p'raps they've had enough walkin' so they'll let me pick 'em
up," which raised him out of his depression not a little.

But the stern faces of the old gentleman and the tall boy smote him with
a chill, long before he passed them, and he drove by silently, well
knowing it would not do to broach the subject by so much as a look.

Not daring to go near the little brown house without the occupants of
the stage who had driven down the road with him, Mr. Tisbett drew up
miserably to a convenient angle, and waited till the two came up. Then
without trusting himself to think, he sprang to the ground, and with
shame written all over his honest face, called out, "See here, you young
chap, I want to speak to you, when you've got him in the house."

"I will see you then," said Jasper, as the two hurried on to meet the
Peppers rushing out from the little brown house, and down the small
path.

"I've made an awful mess for 'em all, and they just come home," groaned
Mr. Tisbett; drawing his fur mitten across his eyes, and leading his
horses, he followed at a funeral pace, careful not to stop at the gate
until the door was closed, when he began furiously to unload.

A footstep crunching the snow, broke into the noise he was making. "Hoh!
well," he exclaimed, pausing with a trunk half-off the rack, "it's a
mighty awkward thing for a man to say he's sorry, but you bet I be, as
cert'in as my name's John Tisbett." His face became so very red that