He was travelling steadily on, thinking of the baby and Aunt Nancy's apparently needless sorrow at having acted a lie during Mr. Pratt's call, when he was aroused to a sense of what was passing around him by hearing the disagreeably familiar voice of Bill Dean, as he shouted,—
"Hold on there a minute, I want to see you."
Bill was coming across the fields at full speed, and, knowing he could not escape if the bully should pursue him, Jack halted.
"So you're tryin' to hide behind Aunt Nancy's apron strings, eh?" Master Dean cried as he reached the road.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Oh, yes, you do. Didn't you send her over to tell my father that I was goin' to drive you out of town, an' didn't she let on about the lickin' we give you?"
"That was her business. I tried to stop her, for I can 'tend to my own battles."
"Perhaps you can; we'll see about that later. Say, what of that man who was over here huntin' for you?"
Jack's cheeks grew pale.
He understood to whom Bill referred, and it seemed positive the whole story would be known, despite the sacrifice made by Aunt Nancy.