a change the
heavy beard made in his appearance; and then besides, it was almost a
year since she had seen him. No wonder she had failed to recognize him
in her anger. It would have taken more than one glance had she met him
under ordinary circumstances.

"Put on your bonnet and march home. We will settle matters there."

His words sounded so ominous that she hastily did as he bid, wondering
dully whether at last her day of reckoning had come.

"Here, boy, take your berries and be off, but if I ever catch you hec--"

"Those are my berries," Tabitha found courage to say, suddenly
remembering the pail heaped full of the fruit she had toiled all the
morning to pick; and the man, glancing down at her bony hands, scratched
and scarred by blackberry thorns, thrust the heavy pail into her arms
and without a word followed her in the dusty march toward the house a
quarter of a mile distant; nor did he once offer to help her with her
load, though the way was rough, the day intensely hot, and the weight
too much for the slender shoulders of the child. Once she stubbed her
toe, and he pulled her roughly to her feet, but released his hold on her
arm when she fixed her black eyes full of scorn and anger upon his face;
and a grim smile played an instant about his lips, but was gone again
before the child could see it.

The house was reached at last, and with a sigh of relief Tabitha dropped
her burden in the doorway and sank down beside it.

At the sound of steps on the gravel walk, a fussy, fidgety little woman
appeared from the room beyond, and stopped in astonishment at sight of
the giant coming up the steps. Before she had a chance to express her
surprise, however, he spoke, addressing the panting child fanning
herself with her bonnet:

"Close that screen. Can't you see those flies coming in? Go to my room,
I want to have an understanding with you. Maria, Tabitha isn't to have a
taste of those berries. I just found her in the middle of the road down
here fighting with a boy, like the rowdy she is."

Accustomed to obey this stern father, Tabitha had withdrawn into the
house, and started for the room where punishment awaited her. At his
command in regard to the berries, however, she paused; then turned to
where the pail stood just inside the screen, seized it, and before
either of the two spectators understood what she was about, she flung
bucket, berries and all into the dooryard and ground the shining fruit
into the sand