er a tree a little to one side
of the house, out of the vision of Madge and Miss Jenny Ann. Phil was a
long time in drinking the water. Distinctly she heard some one inside
the house. He was pacing up and down like a frenzied creature.

Phyllis was disobedient. As she passed by the deaf and dumb boy, whose
name was Jeff, who still sat at his post of duty, she whisked out a
paper and pencil and handed them to him. She pointed to the barred
door, and indicated that she wished the paper and pencil carried to the
man imprisoned in the house.

Jeff took the things, but he shook his head and made many gestures. He
wished Phyllis to understand that he had no way of breaking into the
prison house when his master was away. He was left to guard the outside
of the dwelling. His master carried the key.

Phyllis went back to her seat near Madge and Miss Jenny Ann. Her face
was flushed. She looked miserable and uncomfortable.

A few minutes later Phil saw Jeff leave his position in front of the
place he was set to guard. He jumped up and ran to the tent, where he
and his mother slept. A short time after he danced out of the tent,
carrying a kite with a long tail made of strips of cloth. The boy
closed the opening to the tent securely. He hoped to keep his gypsy
parent inside. As Jeff ran by the girls, letting his kite fly high in
the air, he gave the two girls a significant wink.

"What is the boy going to do?" asked Miss Jenny Ann. "He is just like a
child! I wish he could tell us when those two tiresome men intend to
return to this spot."

Jeff disappeared around the back of the wooden house. In a few moments
the lad reappeared on top of the sloping roof. He had his kite tied to
one of the buttons of his coat. He climbed cautiously up the roof until
he came to the ledge. Then he sat astride it, with his feet nearly
touching the chimney that rose out of the roof. He looked furtively
about.

The girls watched the lad in fascination. What was he about to do? The
boy deliberately waved to them. Next he took out the paper and pencil
Phil had presented to him. He unwound the kite string from his button,
got a small stone out of his pocket and placed it inside the paper.
Then he tied the pencil and the paper, with the weight in it, to the
end of his kite string.

What the boy was going to do Phil was beginning to guess. She was
gratified at the success of her ruse, but she felt very guilty and
ashamed of herself. Madge and Miss