When supper-time came, they went to their boarding-house, a cottage in the suburbs, kept by a man who had formerly known Bachelor Billy in Scranton.

Dan's sent us th' baillies one day, For a shop-score aw owed him, at aw couldn't pay; But, he were too lat, for owd Billy at th' Bent Had sent th' tit an' cart, an' taen th' goods off for rent, They laft nought but th' owd stoo; It were seats for us two, An' on it keawr't Margit an' me.

By virtue of his own faith he inspired Bachelor Billy with equal confidence in the truth of the story; and, by virtue of his own enthusiasm, he kindled a blaze of enthusiasm in the man's heart that glowed with hardly less of brightness than that in his own.

Out-of-doors, the very atmosphere of the May day was redolent with all good cheer, and Ralph took great draughts of it into his lungs as he walked with Bachelor Billy to the little chapel at the foot of the hill, where they were used to going to attend the Sunday morning service.

"Well," he said, "you told me that you had a brother whose name was William, but called Billy for short?"

" Nothing but Mr. Oakhurst's admonishing foot saved Uncle Billy from bursting into a roar of laughter.

" Charlie had it, but you were too inexperienced to know it, but bad riders long ago deprived Billy of any likeness to a rocking- chair.

Behind were Jack and Billy as steerers, and three or four more stood up on the sides and hung on to the others.

"That is secret," he began, as soon as Mabel had dumped the contents of the billy into a huge brown teapot.

Old Mrs. Possum sat in the doorway of their home in the great hollow tree and watched Unc' Billy out of sight.

Then she licked her improvised spoon clean and dry; turned her back to her burden; replaced the band on her forehead; and with the help of her stick, slowly raised herself to her feet and quietly walked away, Billy after her.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Jimmy Skunk, meeting Unc' Billy on the Crooked Little Path near the top of the hill.

" "Was that fair, Solon, to pit a sleuth as relentless as Billy against poor Potts?" "All's fair in love and war.

"Nuffin, nuffin, Sah! Ah'm just walking fo' mah health," replied Unc' Billy over his shoulder, as he hurried on.

He wore it secretly at first, but was moved at length to display it to a few chosen friends; not wisely chosen, it would appear, for now there were mockers of Billy among the irreverent of the town.

The judge looked at the papers, and then he called Bachelor Billy before him.