Noodles. Why, after they passed the crossroads where
the ruins of the old blacksmith shop lay, in which they had held their
first meetings, but which had been mysteriously burned down, some
thought by mischievous and envious town boys--after they had gone by
this well-known spot, and sighted the Scroggins farm beyond, every
fellow had actually forgotten such a thing as fatigue. They held
themselves up straight, and walked with a springy step that would go far
toward indicating that a hundred miles in four days was only play for
such seasoned veterans.

And now the outlying houses of the home town began to loom up. Why, to
several of the boys it really seemed as though they must have been away
for weeks. They eagerly pointed out various objects that were familiar
in their eyes, just as if they had feared the whole map of the town
might have been altered since they marched away on their little four day
tramp.

Seth in particular was greatly amused by hearing this kind of talk. He
had been away from home so much that the novelty of the sensation of
coming back did not appeal to him, as it may have done to Eben and
Jotham for instance.

"You fellers," said Seth, chuckling while he spoke, "make me think of
the little kid that took a notion to run away from home, and wandered
around all day. When night came along he just couldn't stand it any
longer, and crept home. His folks knew what was up, and they settled on
punishing him by not noticing him, or saying a thing about his being
gone. The kid tried to ketch the attention of maw, but she was sewing,
and kept right along, just like he'd been around all day. Then he tried
dad; but he read his paper, and smoked his pipe, and never paid the
least attention. That boy just couldn't understand it. There he'd been
away from home a whole year it seemed to him, since morning, and yet
nobody seemed to bother the least bit, or make a fuss over him. And when
he couldn't get a rise from anybody, he saw the family pussy sittin' by
the fire. 'Oh!' he says, says he, 'I see you've still got the same old
cat you had when I went away!'"

Even Eben and Noodles laughed at that. They knew the joke was on them;
but just at that moment both were feeling too happy to take offense at
anything.

"There's the church steeple!" cried Babe.

"Yes, you're so tall you c'n see things long before the rest of us do,"
declared Jotham, not maliciously, but with the utmost good humor, for
he knew that in a