nd trying to hide her tears. Uncle Aaron looked perfectly resigned. Old
Martha was blubbering openly.

The trunks were strapped on and the boys jumped inside the coach. Jed
climbed to the driver's seat, chirruped to his horses and they were off
amid a chorus of farewells.

Those left behind waved to them until they were out of sight. But in the
last glimpse that the boys had of the old home, they saw that their
mother was sobbing on her husband's shoulder, while Martha's apron was
over her face.

They themselves were more deeply stirred than they cared to show, and
for some time they were very quiet and thoughtful.

They chanced to be the only passengers that morning, and Jed, having no
one else to talk to, turned his batteries on them.

"So you're goin' to leave us, be you?" he remarked, chewing meditatively
on a straw.

"Yes," answered Teddy, the light of battle coming into his eyes, "and we
hate to tear ourselves away from you, Jed. You've always been such a
good pal of ours."

"It breaks us all up to leave you," chimed in Fred, "and we wouldn't do
it if it weren't absolutely necessary. I don't know how you are going to
get along without us."

"A heap sight better than I ever got along with yer!" snapped out Jed.
"I won't be lyin' awake nights now, wonderin' what rascality you kids
will be cookin' up next."

"And this is all the thanks we get for trying to make things pleasant
for you all these years!" exclaimed Teddy, in mock despair.

"The more you do for some people, the less they think of you," and Fred
shook his head mournfully.

"I tell you young scalawags one thing, and that ain't two," Jed came
back at them. "Ef it hadn't be'n fer me, you two might be behind the
bars this blessed minit.

"I ain't never writ ter the gover'ment yit, about you interferin' with
the United States mail," he went on magnanimously. "Yer pa and ma is
nice folks an' I don't want ter make no trouble fer them. Perhaps I
oughtn't ter hush the matter up, me bein', as yer might say, a officer
of the gover'ment when I'm carryin' the mails"--here his chest
expanded--"an' maybe the hull matter will come out yet and make a big
scandal at Washington. Yer actually busted up gover'ment prope'ty. That
padlock on the mail bag wuz bent so that I had ter git a new one----"

"Yes," interrupted Fred, "father said that he paid you a dollar for
that."

"I've seen those same padlocks on sale in the store for twenty-five
cents," added Ted