ld out her arms. Billy stood back. He gripped his little fists
tight and squared his shoulders. "I got to be shut up in the closet," he
said.

"Oh Billy! What an unlucky day! What have you done now?"

"I stold!" gulped Billy. "He said it was ist a mistake, but it was
worser 'an that. I took something you told me I wasn't to have."

"Stole!" Margaret was in despair. "What, Billy?"

"Cookies!" answered Billy in equal trouble.

"Billy!" wailed Margaret. "How could you?"

"It was for him and you," sobbed Billy. "He said he couldn't eat it
'fore me, but out in the barn it's all dark and I couldn't see. I
thought maybe he could there. Then we might put out the light and you
could have yours. He said I only made it worse, cos I mustn't take
things, so I got to go in the closet. Will you hold me tight a little
bit first? He did."

Margaret opened her arms and Billy rushed in and clung to her a few
seconds, with all the force of his being, then he slipped to the floor
and marched to the closet. Margaret opened the door. Billy gave one
glance at the light, clinched his fists and, walking inside, climbed on
a box. Margaret closed the door.

Then she sat and listened. Was the air pure enough? Possibly he might
smother. She had read something once. Was it very dark? What if there
should be a mouse in the closet and it should run across his foot and
frighten him into spasms. Somewhere she had heard--Margaret leaned
forward with tense face and listened. Something dreadful might happen.
She could bear it no longer. She arose hurriedly and opened the
door. Billy was drawn up on the box in a little heap, and he lifted a
disapproving face to her.

"Shut that door!" he said. "I ain't been in here near long enough yet!"

CHAPTER X

WHEREIN ELNORA HAS MORE FINANCIAL TROUBLES, AND MRS. COMSTOCK AGAIN
HEARS THE SONG OF THE LIMBERLOST

The following night Elnora hurried to Sintons'. She threw open the back
door and with anxious eyes searched Margaret's face.

"You got it!" panted Elnora. "You got it! I can see by your face that
you did. Oh, give it to me!"

"Yes, I got it, honey, I got it all right, but don't be so fast. It
had been kept in such a damp place it needed glueing, it had to have
strings, and a key was gone. I knew how much you wanted it, so I sent
Wesley right to town with it. They said they could fix it good as new,
but it should be varnished, and that it would take several days for the
glue to set. You