ldly about upon her many acquaintances as if daring one of them
to accuse her of vagrancy. Nathan, newly clothed and decent of apparel,
but, as to unkempt hair and besmirched skin, still unmistakably the
tramp, let his wild, frightened eyes roam ceaselessly from one guest to
another till, finally, they fixed their gaze upon one face and rested
there.

The face was that of Squire Pettijohn, hitherto complacent,
self-satisfied village magnate. Now suddenly grown haggard and old,
confronting that other face so curiously like his own. His son! Whose
scant intelligence had always been a shame to him and because of which
he had given neglect where care should have been. Whom he had been
secretly thankful to lose and whom he had hoped would never again be
found.

But he had found himself, and for a time the misguided parent and most
unhappy child studied each other in mutual shrinking and dismay. All
the adult guests recognized poor Nathan, now restored to the outward
semblance of the decent citizen he had once been, and understood how it
was that in their fleeting glimpses of the recent "tramp" there had been
something puzzlingly familiar. The children gathered in knots, staring
and quiet, and more than half-afraid. Unconsciously they felt that here
was tragedy where but a moment since had been their merry comedy.

Then Katharine, as little lady of the feast, resolved to end this
dreadful silence which was spoiling all the fun; and, running to
Nathan's side, took his hand in hers and led him forward, saying:

"This is a friend of mine, people, and he's just in time for supper. I
know him very well. I spent an afternoon with him down by the river, and
you ought to know him, too, Uncle Moses, 'cause he's such a good
fisher."

Then she pushed Nathan's soiled hand toward the man on the cot, who
hesitated for one second, glancing toward the Squire's set face, then
grasped it cordially, exclaiming:

"Why, Nate, hello! When'd you come to town? Hain't never lost your vote,
have ye? 'Cause I 'low you'll have to cast it for me for constable next
Tuesday, sence I've just been nomernated for the office. Hey?"

The tramp's eyes left his father's person and looked down upon the
genial, helpless man beside him, and a slow smile stole into them.

"Hello, Uncle Mose. I've got here--eh?"

"Yes, you've got here, got home, all right. Better stay now. We're
all--I say we're _all_ glad to see ye. Marsden ain't such a big
community she c