r you?"
"Yes, sir," she answered. "All right," said Mr. St. Clair; and he helped
her into the cart. I hope you understand that this very fleshy child was
not Evelyn Odell. She was Maggie Brien. Maggie Brien lived with her
grandmother, not far from the station. Her mother did the cooking in a
family two miles away, and she had promised to send that day for Maggie
to come and make her a visit, and Maggie was sitting on the platform
waiting for the man to take her.

Mr. St. Clair took her, and drove from the station, thinking to go to
Aunt Debby's and get Moses, and set off for Gilead; but while he was
gazing up at the sky, the horse--which you will remember was not Mr.
Stimpcett's horse--turned into a road which led to his own master's
house at Cherry Valley. Mr. St. Clair had now the wrong horse and cart,
the wrong meal, the wrong girl, and the wrong road. Presently the horse
trotted up to the door of a farm-house, and stopped. Three heads of
three young maidens popped out of three chamber windows, and a
bare-armed woman, wiping her hands on her apron, rushed to the door.
"Where is my husband?" she cried. "Is he hurt? Is he killed? Tell me the
truth at once!"

"I assure you, madam," answered Mr. St. Clair, mildly, "that I have not
seen your husband."

"Why, then, have you come with his horse and cart?" she asked.

"This horse and cart, madam," said Mr. St. Clair, still mildly, "belongs
to Mr. Stimpcett, of Gilead."

"Do you think I don't know our horse and cart?" cried the woman, in an
angry tone. "Besides, here's my husband's name on the bag--I. Ellison."

"I must have taken the wrong horse and cart," said Mr. St. Clair. "I
will go back at once and find Mr. Ellison."

"The quicker the better," said the woman, as he turned the horse.

Just after Mr. St. Clair had passed from the Cherry Valley road into the
mill road, a man came out of a wood path and sprang at the horse,
crying, "Stop thief!"

"Where is the thief?" asked Mr. St. Clair, looking all around.

"You are the thief!" cried the man. "You have stolen my horse and cart."

Maggie Brien began to cry.

"Are you Mr. I. Ellison?" asked Mr. St. Clair.

"Yes, I am," said the man, angrily.

Mr. St. Clair explained his mistake, and gave up the horse and cart to
Mr. I. Ellison. He then took Maggie's carpet-bag and heavy bundle, and
walked all the way to Aunt Debby's.

By the time they reached Aunt Debby's it was nearly dark, and as for
Moses, he was alrea