Then I put my hand in my pocket and presently took out my jack-knife--that treasure Uncle Eb had bought for me--and looked at it fondly.
Then I offered it to him.
Again he laughed loudly.
'Anything else ?' he demanded while Hope sat hugging the old dog that was licking her hands.
'Got forty cents that I saved for the fair,' said I promptly.
Abe backed his horse and turned in the road.
'Wall boy,' he said, 'Tell 'em I've gone home.' Then his great voice shouted, 'g'lang' the lash of his whip sang in the air and off he went.
We were first to arrive at the schoolhouse, that morning, and when the other children came we had Fred on a comfortable bed of grass in a corner of the woodshed.

What with all the worry of that day I said my lessons poorly and went home with a load on my heart.

Tomorrow would be Saturday; how were we to get food and water to the dog?
They asked at home if we had seen old Fred and we both declared we had not--the first lie that ever laid its burden on my conscience.

We both saved all our bread and butter and doughnuts next day, but we had so many chores to do it was impossible to go to the schoolhouse with them.

So we agreed to steal away that night when all were asleep and take the food from its hiding place.
In the excitement of the day neither of us had eaten much.