hree o'clock I saw my own finish, and threw up the basket.

"You poor, dear child!" exclaimed Peter as he came stiffly across the
row Sam had long since finished. He, Sam, was four rows ahead of us, and
a quarter of a mile away, more or less. I had collapsed, with my tired
legs stuck out in front of me and my thumb, swollen from snapping the
pods, in my mouth. "This is too hard work for you."

"Yes, it is; but Sam won't think so," I answered, with a glance at the
strong, broad back swinging so easily down the slope. "Now, Peter, we
must go right along picking the peas. Sam must get those five barrels,"
I said, as I hastily scrambled up and began to pull at the vicious vines
again.

"Well, I certainly don't intend to stop until they are filled," answered
Peter, stiffly, in more ways than one, and without any more waste of
sympathy he turned his back and went doggedly at the vines. That was my
opportunity, and I took it. I rose, looked with fear at the two men at
work in front of me, and fled, basket and all. I stopped long enough to
empty my full basket in one of the barrels that were already in the
wagon; and as I climbed laboriously down over the wheels, with my
paralyzed legs working slowly, I caught a glimpse of a flash of blue out
in the bushes, topped by a glint of red that was too large to be that of
any bird inhabitant of The Briers.

"Byrd," I called, softly.

No answer.

"Byrd, do you want to go to town with me to see Mother Hayes?" I asked
in subdued tones. That brought its response.

There were difficulties; but we surmounted them. We were afraid to wake
Mammy at her afternoon nap for the clean clothes of civilization, so we
purloined a fairly clean blue jumper hanging on the porch, while I left
a note for Sam pinned on my old doll seed-basket hanging by his door. It
was large enough for him to see, and it read:

I'm a good young mule, but I've broken down. Poor Peter! All that
is left of
BETTY.

_P.S._--I've rescued the Byrd for overnight. I'll return him to
his fate to-morrow. Poor Peter! Poor Peter!

I wish I could have seen Sam's face when he found it! The next morning
mother's black beauty found my old grass basket full of delicious little
peas on the front steps with this note in it:

You'll be docked a quarter of a cent every hour you are off your
job. Bring that brat home and both of you get to