ran across the road to Mrs. Gordon's to ask her
what she supposed Horace Clifford had been doing, which Dotty Dimple did
not wish to hear talked about, and which made her run away when she was
questioned.

"I can't imagine," said Mrs. Gordon, very much surprised. "He is a
frolicsome boy, but I never thought there was anything wicked about
Horace."

Then by and by she remembered how Miss Louise Parlin had lost a
breastpin in a very singular manner, and both the ladies wondered if
Horace could have taken it.

"One never can tell what mischief children may fall into," said Mrs.
Gray, rubbing her cheek-bone; "and that reminds me how anxious I am
about my little Charlie; he ought to have been at home an hour ago."

While Mrs. Gray was saying this in Mrs. Gordon's parlor, there was a
scene of some confusion in Mr. Parlin's door-yard.

"Who's this coming in at the gate?" cried Dotty.

It was Deacon, but Deacon was only a part of it; the rest was two
meal-bags and a small boy. The meal-bags were full, and hung dangling
down on either side of the horse, and to each was tied a leg of little
Charlie Gray. It was droll for a tiny boy to wear such heavy clogs upon
his feet, but droller still to see him resting his curly head upon the
horse's mane.

"Ums the Charlie boy," said Katie; "um can't sit up no more."

"Ah, my boy, seems to me you take it very easy," said Abner, who was
just coming in from the garden, giving some weeds a ride in the
"one-wheeled coach," or wheel-barrow.

"Why don't you hold your head up, darling?" said Dotty.

"O, bring the camphor," screamed Susy; "he's fainted away! he's fainted
away!"

"Not exactly," said Abner, untying the strings which held him to the
bags. "Old Deacon has done very well this time; the boy is sound
asleep."

As soon as Abner had wheeled away his weeds, he mounted the horse and
trotted to Mrs. Gray's with the meal-bags, singing for Katie's ear,--

"Ride away, ride away; Charlie shall ride;
He shall have bag of meal tied to one side;
He shall have little bag tied to the other,
And Charlie shall ride to see our grandmother."

The little boy stood rubbing his eyes.

"Why, Charlie, darling," said Prudy, "who tied you on?"

"The man'th boy over there. Hally didn't come cauthe he played ball; and
then the man'th boy tied me on."

Charlie made up a lip.

"Let's take him out to the swing," said Prudy. "That will wake him up,
and