"Oh, Mammy!" exclaimed Joel, lifting up his head, his tears all
gone. "I can catch him." He gave an impatient pull at the knots.

"Take care, Joe," cried Polly, "you're pulling 'em tighter. Oh,
Mammy, let us all go after him," she begged with flashing eyes.
"We can catch the bad wicked man."

"No," said Mrs. Pepper, firmly, "not a single one of you must
stir out of this house unless I tell you. And as for bread, why,
we can do without it so long as Joel is safe."

"Phooh!" said Joel, "he didn't hurt me any," just as Polly got
the last knot out that tied his arms. Then he set to work to
help her get his legs free. And in a trice he jumped to his feet
and ran to the window.

"Oh, Mamsie," he teased, craning his neck to look up and down
the road, "do let me go. I can get some sticks in the woodshed,
and I guess I can scare him then."

"All of us," pleaded Polly, hurrying to Mrs. Pepper; "just think,
Mamsie, with big sticks. Do let us."

But Mother Pepper shook her head. "We'll all go over to Grandma
Bascom's and see if he went there. Then Ben'll be home, and he
can run over and tell Deacon Brown. He'll know how to catch the
thief."

"I'm goin' with Ben," announced Joel, decidedly, and coming into