o the stable the day
before, and told Peter I wanted him to get up very early the next
morning, and put old Ripstaver in the buggy, and drive him over to
Dr. Hendricks's. I told him he must be there before five o'clock, and
that he was to tie the horse to a maple-tree this side of the front
yard. I said one of the doctor's family had to get to the village very
early because there were some things to be done before the train came,
and it had been agreed we should lend our buggy. Peter was not quite
pleased with the arrangement, and asked why we did not send the old
mare--we only kept two horses; but I said she was too slow, and it had
been specially arranged that the buggy, with Ripstaver, should be sent.
Peter was a great friend of mine, so he agreed to do what I asked, and
said he did not mind walking back.' ('I never would have believed,' said
Miss Amanda, 'that the boy had such a mind. If I had only known what he
was planning to do! If I had only known! But even if I had, it is so
hard to tell what is right.')

"'My Aunt Amanda was not in the habit of meddling with anything about
the barn or stable; but that afternoon--and I never knew why--she went
to the barn, and found Peter dusting off the buggy. He told me she asked
if anybody was going to use the buggy that evening, and he replied he
was getting it ready to take over to the Hendrickses' in the morning, as
some one there wanted to go to the village before the train started for
the city. Then she asked what horse he was going to put to it, and he
told her old Ripstaver. Then she said she did not think that was a good
plan, because Ripstaver was hard to drive, and it would be a great deal
better to send the old mare. Peter agreed to this, and so it happened
that when I went to the barn the next morning, as soon as I had seen
Peter drive away in the buggy, I found the only horse in the stable was
old Ripstaver. I was mad enough, I can tell you; for if Rebecca made any
noise and woke her father he could overtake that old mare long before
she could get to the village. I never did understand how my Aunt Amanda
happened to meddle that afternoon.'

"('Of course you couldn't,' said Miss Amanda. 'You were a fine little
manager; but when I looked out of my window that afternoon and saw a boy
carrying a trunk to the barn I was very likely to suspect something; and
when I went down to the barn myself and found Peter getting the buggy
ready to go away early the next morning,