himself over the
railing of the veranda and jumped to the ground, and he was nearly a
block away before he so much as paused for breath.

Then it suddenly came to him that it was bitterly cold, that there was
snow on the ground, and that his overcoat and cap were peacefully
reposing on the bed in the Guilfords' chilly guest chamber.

If the weather had been a little more favorable he might have held out;
he might even have started for parts unknown. But the combination of
mental anguish and physical discomfort was too much for him. He simply
could not go back to Guilfords'. He had burned his bridges behind him
too effectually to permit that. The frosty night air seemed to have
numbed his hitherto ready imagination, for he could think of only one
other place to go; and that was home.

But what could he tell his father and mother? They surely would demand
an explanation. And for once he found himself utterly unable to think of
a suitable lie. Then suddenly like a flash from the sky came an
inspiration.

Why not try the truth!

George Washington had tried it once on a tree-cutting scrape, and had
made it work. And why couldn't _he_?

CHAPTER XXX

THE TRUTH

"What! Home so soon!" exclaimed Sube's mother as he came into her
presence. Then noting that he was hatless and coatless she became
apprehensive. "Why, what has happened?" she asked. "What is the matter?"

Sube swallowed hard. Not without an effort, and a colossal one, could he
speak the truth. But at last he managed to get out, "I came home."

"So it would appear," contributed his father, while at the same time his
mother was asking apprehensively:

"But _why_? Tell me what has happened!"

Sube continued the desperate swallowing movements, but no sound came.

Then Mrs. Cane adopted the inductive method, and asked, "Is the party
over already?"

Sube shook his head.

"Something terrible has happened!" she cried. "Did the tree catch on
fire?"

Then Mr. Cane took a hand in the proceedings.

"Stop that sniveling, and speak up!" he ordered. "What--has--happened?"

Sube drew a deep breath, and said in a husky voice, "I ran away from
it."

"Ran away from a party!" cried his father. "_You!_--What in thunder did
you do that for? What had you been doing that you wanted to run away
from?"

"I stole the Chris'mus tree--!"

"Stole the Christmas tree!" cried Mr. Cane. "What are you talking
about?"

"Yessir; that's what I did--"

"Well, that's