ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON.
By Margaret Sidney.
VI.
BETSEY, the farmer's wife, put up a lunch large enough to last a couple of voyagers for a two days' journey, and bustled around in her quickest style, so that she ran out to the barn with her big basket as Farmer Bassett drew a long breath and declared himself ready to start.
"Do hurry, John," she begged, setting her basket within the sleigh, "those poor creeters must be half-starved, let alone their crying theirselves eenamost to death."
Then her motherly heart that had taken up entirely the cause of the boys, allowed throbs of pity to be felt on Thomas' account as she saw the effect of her words upon him, and she hastened to add—"You'll make pretty quick time after you git on the road, and boys always know how to have a good time as long as daylight lasts, at any rate."
"You better believe, Betsey," declared Farmer Bassett, "that we will not let the grass, or the snow rather, accumulate under our feet, will we, Jack?" caressing his horse. "There, Mr. —— what'd you say your name was?" turning to the man beside him.
"Thomas, sir—Thomas Bradley. But I'm better known as Mr. Bangs' man, bad luck to the day I shirked a bit. But I'll catch it enough when I get home, though"—