Joe had, in his wanderings, followed a sort of circle, which had now brought him within a comparatively short distance of home; but if, before this, he had thought of returning there, the thought was now driven from his mind. He felt that he could not go back to face this charge against him, for who would believe him? It was time to turn his face to the westward. Besides, he had said that he would not return until he was twenty-one years old. His pride had not yet been enough chastened by misery to cause him to abandon his foolish boast. So here he was, on the wharf at Rondout this raw September morning, seeking not so much independence and fortune as bread and shelter. Joe walked slowly along close to the buildings, for the wind that swept down the creek was disagreeably cold. An occasional raindrop struck his face. He was very thinly clad, too, and he could not help shivering now and then as he pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and turned his back for a moment to the wind. He stopped to look at a few loaves of bread and a string of sausages that were displayed in the window of a cheap store. He wondered whether it would be wiser to spend his last few pennies for his breakfast, or save them for his dinner. He had about decided to buy a piece of bread, and was waiting for the store to be opened for the day, when some one accosted him from behind: “Say, you boy!” Joe turned and looked at the speaker. He was a rather stout, low-browed man, with a very red nose and a shaven face, upon which a rough stubble of beard had begun to grow. His pantaloons were supported from below by the tops of his rubber boots, and suspended from above by a single brace, which ran diagonally across the breast of his red flannel shirt. “Do you want a job, young fellow?” continued the man. “What kind of a job?” asked Joe. “Drivin’.” “Drivin’ what?” “Hosses on the canal. My boy got sick las’ night, an’ I’ve got to git another one. Do ye know anything about hosses?” “Yes,” replied Joe. “I’ve driven ’em a good deal, and always taken care of ’em.” “Well, my boat’s unloaded, an’ I’m ready to pull right out. Wha’ do ye say? Go?” “What wages do you pay?” asked the boy, hesitatingly. “Well, you’re big an’ smart-lookin’ an’ know how to handle hosses, an’ I’ll give you extra big pay.” Joe’s spirits rose. True, the man looked forbidding, and undesirable as a master; but if he paid good wages, the rest might be endured. “Well, what will you pay?” persisted the boy. “I’ll give ye four dollars for the round trip, an’ board an’ lodge ye.” Joe’s spirits fell. “How long does the trip take?” he asked. “Two weeks.” “An’ when do I get my money?” “Half at Honesdale, an’ half when you git back here.” “Well, I don’t know; I--” “Make up your mind quick. If you don’t want the job, I’ll be lookin’ for another boy.”