t he awaited the thieves' return. When they came, he was
relieved; for they were carrying chickens instead of turkeys. Although,
because of the safety of his pets, a thrill of satisfaction swept over
John, yet he had received in his heart a wound that was deep and wide.
These cruel, heartless men were willing to take from him, in so
unprincipled a manner, his only companions and playfellows. John
somewhat realized that life had a hard and bitter side for him; but
again he endeavored with all his strength to make the best of it.

It was morning before John and his father returned to their home;
and it was with unusual joy that John found his pets waiting for their
breakfast. As he held them close to his breast, with their beaks close
to his cheek, he again thought of his mother; also he wondered about a
certain change that had come over his father.

For a time after their removal to their own home, the father had been
very devoted to John and had seemed to understand something of the boy's
loneliness. Perhaps it was a realization of this loneliness and a desire
to bring into the life of the child the motherly interest of which he
had been deprived that had turned the father's heart toward a certain
young lady of his acquaintance. Anyway, whatever was the cause, the
father became more and more interested in this young woman; while, on
the other hand, he paid less attention to John, whose loneliness daily
increased. Night after night John's pillow was dampened by the tears he
shed while waiting and listening for the sound of his father's returning
footsteps.

In course of time the father married and brought home his new bride.
At first John was very shy; but he was glad. Oh, how he wished that she
would be what he had day-dreamed that his own mother might have been!
He could then have given her all his love and confidence. He could have
told her all his boyish plans for the future, asking her for the advice
he would need. But the new mother failed to fulfill his hopes. Even she
did not understand the longings of his boyish heart; nor did she realize
that the poor little neglected boy was measuring her by what he had
imagined a true mother to be. She was kind to John; but that was all.
Her time and attention were given to her husband; and John daily saw the
gulf between his father and himself widening and deepening. A feeling of
discord crept into John's heart; all attraction for home was severed;
and he felt that his hap