ps, and then began to feed upon the grass as before. He seemed
to know precisely how much resistance was necessary to avoid the
recapture with which he was threatened.

"Whoa Jack! whoa!" said Phonny, advancing again. The horse, however,
moved on, shaking his head as before. He seemed to be no more disposed
to recognize the name of Jack than Dobbin.

[Illustration: CATCHING THE HORSE.]

"Jemmy," said Phonny, turning back and calling out aloud, "Jemmy!
what's his name?"

Jemmy did not answer. He was fully occupied in getting into the wagon.

Beechnut called Phonny back and asked him to hold his horse, while he
went to catch Jemmy's. He did it by opening one of the bags and taking
out a little grain, and by means of it enticing the stray horse near
enough to enable him to take hold of the bridle. He then fastened him
behind the wagon, and putting Jemmy's two bags in, he turned round and
went back to carry Jemmy home, leaving Malleville and Phonny to walk
the rest of the way to Mary Erskine's. Besides their ride, they lost
the remainder of the story of Sligo, if that can be said to be lost
which never existed. For at the time when Beechnut paused in his
narration, he had told the story as far as he had invented it. He had
not thought of another word.

CHAPTER II.

THE BRIDE.

Mary Erskine was an orphan. Her mother died when she was about twelve
years old. Her father had died long before, and after her father's
death her mother was very poor, and lived in so secluded and solitary
a place, that Mary had no opportunity then to go to school. She
began to work too as soon as she was able to do any thing, and it was
necessary from that day forward for her to work all the time; and this
would have prevented her from going to school, if there had been one
near. Thus when her mother died, although she was an intelligent and
very sensible girl, she could neither read nor write a word. She told
Mrs. Bell the day that she went to live with her, that she did not
even know any of the letters, except the round one and the crooked
one. The round one she said she _always_ knew, and as for S she
learned that, because it stood for Erskine. This shows how little she
knew about spelling.

Mrs. Bell wanted Mary Erskine to help her in taking care of her own
daughter Mary, who was then an infant. As both the girls were named
Mary, the people of the family and the neighbors gradually fell
into the habit of calling each of them