Archibald, who had been chuckling over the Valley’s consternation, had an inspiration.
“Peggy,” he said, “I wonder if Mrs. Neal could stable two horses for me. You and I are going to do our neighboring behind a pair—but remember, Peg, I never heard that the Smiling Lady rode. That extra riding horse is going to be a lucky accident. Incidentally, I’m going to teach you to ride him.”
“Oh, my stars!” The small girl crooned it again, from heart fullness. “And I didn’t even pray for you to come! If I could have thought of anything as nice as you, I’d have prayed for it, but I couldn’t. So I just said ‘God bless me’ and I guess He thought that meant sending you.”
“God bless you, Peg,” Archibald said very softly. He couldn’t remember having asked God to bless any one, since far away bedtimes in which a very small boy and a very loving mother and a certain little white bed in a cheerful nursery figured hazily. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been on speaking terms with God at all, since those old days; but here in the Happy Valley one met Him at every turn and He seemed very friendly.
The dinner missed at noon was, according to Nora’s prophecy, warmed up for supper; and after it was eaten and the dishes had been washed Archibald walked down to Mrs. Benderby’s with Pegeen, because she was later than usual and the shadows were black.
As the two passed out of the meadow, they found Mr. and Mrs. Neal standing in the middle of the road in front of their home, talking excitedly and looking down toward Pisgah, where a red glow lighted the sky from behind a crouching black hill.
“What’s up?” Archibald asked. “Oh, I see—fire. What do you think it is?”
“Another barn, I guess,” Mr. Neal said grimly. “From the looks, I should say ’twas Frisbie’s. Getting past a joke, this thing is. Makes a man feel darned uncomfortable when he goes to bed. Something’s got to be done. That’s the fifth.”
“Fifth what?”
“Fifth barn burning! Set on fire every one of ’em. Nobody suspected at first, but the fires began coming along too regular to be accidental and then there were signs of the work found, but they ain’t been able to catch the fire-bug. He don’t seem to steal anything—crazy, most likely. Just likes to watch the things burn, but there’s been a big loss and one house went too, and folks are mighty stirred up about it. I don’t feel none too easy myself. There’s no telling where the thing’ll hit next.”