of the deeper woods. All at once Roy halted. They had
arrived on the edge of a little clearing in the midst of which stood a
tiny and roughly built hut with a big stone chimney at one end. Although
the place was primitive it was scrupulously neat.

Painted white with green shutters, with a bright flower garden in front,
it was a veritable picture of rural thrift.

The boy hesitated for an instant as they stood on the opposite edge of
the cleared ground. There was no question but that they had reached the
place whence the groans had proceeded. As they stood there the grim
sounds began once more, after being hushed for an instant. Now, however,
they took coherent form.

"Oh, help me! Help me!"

Roy was undetermined no longer. Directing Peggy to remain outside till he
summoned her, he walked rapidly, and with a firm step, up the path
leading to the hut, and entered. It was so dark inside that at first he
could see nothing. But pretty soon he spied a huddled form in one corner.

"Oh, don't hurt me! I'm only a harmless old man! I have no money," cried
the cringing figure, as Roy entered.

"I don't want to hurt you," said the boy kindly; "I want to help you."

He now saw that the form in the corner was that of an old man with a
silvery beard and long white hair. From a gash on his forehead blood was
flowing, and the wound seemed to have been recently inflicted.

"What is the matter? What has happened?" asked Roy, gently, as he raised
the old man to a chair into which he fell limply.

"Water! water!" he cried, feebly.

Roy hastened outside saying to himself as he went:

"This is a case for Peggy."

Summoning her he hastily related what had occurred and the warm-hearted
girl, with many exclamations of pity, hastened to the wounded man's side.

"Get me some water quick, Roy," she exclaimed, tearing a long strip from
her linen petticoat to serve as a bandage. Outside the hut, Roy soon
found a spring, back of a rickety stable in which the old man had a horse
and a ramshackle buggy.

When he returned with the water the poor old fellow took a long draught
from a cup Peggy held to his lips and the girl then deftly washed and
bandaged his wound. This done the venerable old man seemed to rally, and
sitting up in his chair thanked his young friends warmly. Roy, in the
meantime, had been looking about the hut and saw that it was furnished in
plain, but tidy style. Over the great open fireplace, at one end, hung a
big pict