As Eben drove homewards with the mare, who almost seemed to understand that something had happened to her master, he could no longer regret that he had spoken freely to poor Jem. He had not known that he was speaking to a dying man, but if he had, he did not feel that he would have said much more. He remembered, with a thrill of sudden joy, that Jem had seemed to take his words not only kindly but gladly, and had asked his prayers.
"That will be a comfort to his poor old mother," he thought; "and one thing I know—I will never be so backward as I have been, in speaking on such subjects at proper times."
He drove the mare home and attended to her comforts with special care, but the poor creature whinnied and looked wistfully about her as though she missed something. Eben's tears came fast as he patted and caressed her.
"Poor Beauty! You are looking for your master, but he will never take care of you any more. He was always a good master to you, wasn't he, Beauty?"
"Well, Eben, here you are at last," said Jeduthun as Eben entered the mill to report himself before going home. "I've been looking for you all day. The old lady was real worried, when we first heard that somebody was killed over at the Springs, for fear it was you, but I told her I guessed there was no occasion. What has kept you so long?"
"I got carried off on the cars, and had to stay at Hobartown till three," said Eben, "and then I drove poor Jem's mare home and took care of her."
"Ah, poor Jam! He was called dreadful sudden, wasn't he? And to think it was only this morning you was riding with him! Well, we must all go some time, we don't know how soon, and the only thing is to be ready. But you look regularly beat out, Eben. You had better run down home and see your mother, and you needn't mind coming back again to-night if you don't want to. Oh, I forgot to ask you: of course you found Mr. Antis?"
"Yes. I just made out to get on the back end of the train, and I had to go clear through to the Pullman car before I found him. I was going to get off at P—, but he said I might just as well go on to Hobartown, where I could have a good time."
"That's just like the boss!" said Jeduthun. "He's about the consideratest man ever I knew. Well, did you have a good time?"
"I guess I did!" said Eben. "Dr. Henry was on the train, and he gave me a note to carry to Dr. Porter up at the college, and Dr. Porter, he showed me the museum and lent me these books, see."