returned, ready for the work of binding up his wounds.

"Do you feel any worse, Joseph?" she asked, laying her hand gently on
his shoulder.

"Not a bit of it," Master Potter replied, stoutly.

"Do you think you can bear up until I have built a fire and heated some
water?"

"Now, look here, aunt Dorcas, I ain't hurt any to speak of, even though
there is a good deal of blood on my face, an' as for bearin' up, why, it
wouldn't do me a bit of harm if there wasn't anything done to my face.
I'll build a fire, if it's warm water you're after," and, before the
little woman could prevent him, he had set about the task.

While waiting for the fire to burn, aunt Dorcas collected such articles
as she believed would be needed, and Joe found it difficult to prevent a
smile from appearing on his bruised face, as he watched the
preparations.

Several rolls of clean, white cloth, in sufficient quantity to have
bandaged the heads of twenty boys, arnica, antiseptic washes, adhesive
plaster, a sponge, cooling lotions, and, as Joe afterwards told Plums,
"a whole apothecary's shop full of stuff," was placed on the table in a
methodical fashion.

"I guess while this water's bein' heated I'll wash some of the blood off
my face, an' then you'll see that there ain't any need of worryin' much
'bout me," Joe said, with a laugh, as he turned towards the sink, and
aunt Dorcas cried, excitedly:

"Don't do it, Joseph! Don't you dare to do it; it might be as much as
your life is worth to put cold water on that bruised flesh! It won't be
many minutes before we shall have plenty of the proper temperature."

"Of course I'll do jest as you say, aunt Dorcas; but I've been hurt
worse'n this a good many times, an' never had any one to touch me up the
same's you seem bound on doin'."

"If you have been foolhardy in the past, it is no reason why you should
run unnecessary risks now," the little woman said, severely, and Joe
made no further attempt to dissuade her from her purpose.

When the water was sufficiently warm, aunt Dorcas set about her
self-appointed task, passing the moist sponge over Joe's face with an
exceedingly light touch, as if afraid of causing him pain, and he said,
with a stifled laugh:

"You needn't be afraid of hurtin' me, aunt Dorcas. I can stand a good
deal more'n that without yippin'. I'd been willin' to got it twice as
bad, if we could have held on to that duffer."

"You shouldn't harbour revengeful thoughts, Joseph. I a