“No, I should say not!” vouchsafed Rachel, her voice firm now that the size of the “burglar” was declared. Tabitha only gasped.
The small boy placed the food upon the empty plates, and Rachel’s lips twitched as she saw that he clumsily tried to arrange it in an orderly fashion.
“There, ma’am,--that looks pretty good!” he finally announced with some pride.
Tabitha made an involuntary gesture of aversion. Rachel laughed outright; then her face grew suddenly stern.
“Boy, what do you mean by such actions?” she demanded.
His eyes fell, and his cheeks showed red through the tan.
“I was hungry.”
“But didn’t you know it was stealing?” she asked, her face softening.
“I didn’t stop to think--it looked so good I couldn’t help takin’ it.” He dug his bare toes in the grass for a moment in silence, then he raised his head with a jerk and stood squarely on both feet. “I hain’t got any money, but I’ll work to pay for it--bringin’ wood in, or somethin’.”
“The dear child!” murmured two voices softly.