absence of the children; and when he awoke he lay
reading for a while before he began to wonder where every one was.
Lounging out to see, he found Ben and Lita reposing side by side on
the fresh straw in the loose box, which had been made for her in the
coach-house. By the pails, sponges and curry-combs lying about, it was
evident that she had been refreshed by a careful washing and rubbing
down, and my lady was now luxuriously resting after her labors, with
her devoted groom half asleep close by.

"Well, of all queer boys you are the queerest, to spend this hot
afternoon fussing over Lita, just for the fun of it!" cried Thorny,
looking in at them with much amusement.

"If you knew what we'd been doing you'd think I ought to fuss over
her, and both of us had a right to rest!" answered Ben, rousing up as
bright as a button; for he longed to tell his thrilling tale, and had
with difficulty been restrained from bursting in on Thorny as soon as
he arrived.

He made short work of the story, but was quite satisfied with the
sensation it produced; for his listener was startled, relieved,
excited and charmed, in such rapid succession, that he was obliged to
sit upon the meal chest and get his breath before he could exclaim,
with an emphatic demonstration of his heels against the bin:

"Ben Brown, I'll never forget what you've done for Celia this day, or
say 'bow-legs' again as long as I live!"

"George! I felt as if I had _six_ legs when we were going the pace. We
were all one piece, and had a jolly spin, didn't we, my beauty?" and
Ben chuckled as he took Lita's head in his lap, while she answered
with a gusty sigh that nearly blew him away.

"Like the fellow that brought the good news from Ghent to Aix," said
Thorny, surveying the recumbent pair with great admiration.

"What fellow?" asked Ben, wondering if he didn't mean Sheridan, of
whose ride he had heard.

"Don't you know that piece? I spoke it at school. Give it to you now;
see if it isn't a rouser."

And, glad to find a vent for his excitement, Thorny mounted the
meal-chest, to thunder out that stirring ballad with such spirit that
Lita pricked up her ears, and Ben gave a shrill "Hooray!" as the last
verse ended,

"And all I remember is friends flocking round,
As I sat with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground,
And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine,
As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine,
Which (the burgesses voted by c