a flour bag, no one knew how, emptied the basket of nuts into it,
filling it about three-quarters full.

Long and hard he labored over the note that he tied to the bag. Sneaking
to the back door of the cottage, he dropped the bag on the upper step,
gave a tremendous knock, and then raced off to the woods.

Aunt Judith was more than half afraid to open the big bag, but finally,
gathering courage, she cut the string, and then peeped in.

The laboriously written note fell to the floor. She picked it up, and
for a moment, stared at it in great surprise.

"Ter Missis Ant Joodith Im sory ive evir plagd yer an them nutts is
4 yor party coss I want yer ter no I meen whut i say. Arftur this I
wil tri hard ter be yor frend,

"Gyp."

"Well, of all things!" she cried, when at last she had made sense out
of the fearfully spelled note.

"Poor, wild Gyp! Who ever dreamed that he had a heart or a conscience!
Indeed he shall be my friend if that will keep him from annoying me,
and perhaps I can find a way to befriend him.

"Everyone is ready to lift a hand against him, so that there is nothing
to tempt him to be really good, nor to encourage him to try.

"Strange little Arab! I wonder what prompted him to give his store of