. "That's all that dratted boy's doings, little
John-Ed Williams. Who else would have ever thought of dumping a
two-bushel bag of oats into a twenty-bushel bin? We always put feed
in that covered can yonder, so as to keep shet of the rats. But that
boy, when he brought the oats, dumped 'em into the box before I
could stop him. He's got less sense than his father; and you know,
Tunis, John-Ed himself ain't got much more wit than the law allows."

"But if you hadn't sneezed--" began Prudence again.

"You take her into the house, Cap'n Ira," said Tunis. "I'll feed
Queenie. What do you give her--this measure full of oats? And a hank
of that hay?"

"And a bunch of fodder. Might as well give her a dinner while you're
about it," grumbled the old man, leading his tottering wife toward
the door. "As I say, that old critter is eatin' her head off."

"Well, she long ago earned her keep in her old age," Tunis said,
laughing.

He could remember when the Queen of Sheba had come to the Ball barn
as a colt. Many a clandestine bareback ride had he enjoyed. He fed
the mare and petted her as if she were his own. Then he scraped the
oats out of the bin and poured them into the galvanized-iron can, so
that Cap'n Ira could more easily get at the mare's feed.

He went to the house afterward to see if there was any other little
chore he could do for the old couple before going on to his own
home.

"You can't do much for us, Tunis, unless you can furnish me a new
pair of legs," said Cap'n Ira. "I might as well have timber ones as
these I've got. What Prue and me needs is what you've got but can't
give away--youth."

"You ought to have somebody living with you to help, Cap'n Ira,"
said the young man.

"I cal'late," said the other dryly, "that we've already made that
discovery, Tunis. Trouble is, we ain't fixed right to increase the
pay roll. I'd like to know who you'd think would want to sign up on
this craft that even the rats have deserted?"

"Never mind, Ira. Don't be downhearted," Prudence said, now
recovered from her excitement. "Perhaps the Lord has something good
in store for us."

Cap'n Ira pursed his lips.

"I ain't doubting the Lord's stores is plentiful," he returned
rather irreverently. "The trouble is for us poor mortals to get at
'em. Well, Tunis, I certainly am obliged to you."

The flurry of excitement was over. But Ira Ball was a determined
man. It was in his mind that the trouble of taking care of the old
mar