tering
houses and pointed to the sky.

"Yes, yes, child. Go ahead," said Father De Smet. "Only don't get too
near Netteke's hind legs. She doesn't know you very well and sometimes
she forgets her manners."

Marie skipped over the gangplank and ran along the tow-path to Jan, who
already had taken up Netteke's reins and was waiting for the signal to
start. Joseph took his place at the tiller, and again the "Old Woman"
moved slowly down the stream.

For some time Jan and Marie plodded along with Netteke. At first they
thought it good fun, but by and by, as the sun grew hot, driving a mule
on a tow-path did not seem quite so pleasant a task as they had thought
it would be.

"I'm tired of this," said Jan at last to Marie. "That mule is so slow
that I have to sight her by something to be sure that she is moving at
all! I've been measuring by that farmhouse across the river for a long
time, and she hasn't crawled up to it yet! I shouldn't wonder if she'd
go to sleep some day and fall into the river and never wake up! Why, I
am almost asleep myself."

"She'll wake up fast enough when it's time to eat, and so will you,"
said Marie, with profound wisdom.

"Let 's see if we can't make her go a little faster, anyway," said Jan,
ignoring Marie's remark. "I know what I'll do," he went on, chuckling;
"I'll get some burrs and stick them in her tail, and then every time
she slaps the flies off she'll make herself go faster."

Marie seized Jan's arm.

"You'll do nothing of the kind!" she cried. "Father De Smet told me
especially to keep away from Netteke's hind legs."

"Pooh!" said Jan; "he didn't tell me that. I'm not afraid of any mule
alive. I guess if I can harness a horse and drive home a load of grain
from the field, there isn't much I can't do with a mule!" To prove his
words he shouted "U--U" at Netteke and slapped her flank with a long
branch of willow.

Now, Netteke was a proud mule and she wasn't used to being slapped.
Father De Smet knew her ways, and knew also that her steady, even, slow
pace was better in the long run than to attempt to force a livelier
gait, and Netteke was well aware of what was expected of her. She
resented being interfered with. Instead of going forward at greater
speed, she put her four feet together, laid back her ears, gave a loud
"hee-haw!" and stopped stock-still.

"U--U!" shouted Jan. In vain! Netteke would not move. Marie held a
handful of fresh grass just out of reach of her mouth