tried to conceal in the palm of his
hand, and he glared at a totally innocent passer-by whom he suspected of
wanting to hear the mouth-organ.

Mother didn't know of his mental struggles. She was thinking more about
her feet. She looked up with mild astonishment when, as they left the
town by the highroad southward, Father burst out, "I'll play if I want
to, but I can't stand the gawping gumps here."

"Why, Father!" she said, trustingly.

The noontime sun came out. To conceal from his stomach the fact that it
was hungry, Father grew boyishly enthusiastic about going Southward.
"Gee!" he burbled, "we'll hit down toward Florida--palms and alligators
and--and everything--Land of Flowers! What's this hotel?--the Royal
Points de Anna? Play the mouth-organ there. Make a hit. Then we'll
strike New Orleans and jump to San Francisco.... Gee! it's a long way
between houses along here!"

They approached a farm-yard. Father was tremendously urging himself to
play the mouth-organ there, to skip and be nimble, and gain a minstrel's
meed. Meaning lunch.

Frowning with intentness, he stopped before the house. Mother meekly
halted beside him. She had not lost quite all of the training in
self-dependence she had got from a business life, these last weeks, but
she looked to him for leadership in the new existence.

Father swung his shapeless pack from his shoulders, set it down on the
ground, reluctantly drew his mouth-organ from its case. He became aware
that a large, astonished woman was staring from the kitchen window. He
stared back. The mouth-organ was left suspended in air. Hastily he stuck
it in his pocket and, as though hypnotized, moved toward the kitchen
door. He had to give the woman some explanation for encamping in her
yard.... Why! She might have thought that he had intended to make a fool
of himself by playing the mouth-organ there!

The woman opened the door curiously, stared over Father's head at
Mother, then back at the little man with his pink, cheery face and whiff
of delicate silver hair.

"I--uh--I-- Could I cut some wood or something for you?" said Father.
"Mrs.--uh--Mrs. Smith and I are tramping across the United States--San
Francisco and New Orleans and so on--and--"

"Why, you poor things, you must be terribly cold and tired! Think of it!
San Francisco! You tell Mrs. Smith to come right in and warm herself by
the fire, and I guess I can find some dinner for both of you."

Father scuttled out, informed