"All we need, just you get here with the car, and put in a comfort and pillow. All my stuff is gone!" Peter Senior arrived in a surprisingly short time, knelt on the floor and looked closely at his sleeping boy. "Naked and beaten to insensibility, you say?" Mickey nodded. "Nothing to eat for nearly two days?" Another affirmation. Peter arose, pushed back his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I haven't been thinking about anything but him ever since he left," he said, "and what makes me the sorest is that the longer I think of it, the surer I get that this is my fault. I didn't raise him right!" "Aw-w-ah Peter!" protested Mickey. "I've got it all studied out," said Peter, "and I didn't! There have been two mistakes, Junior's and mine, and of the two, mine is twice as big as the boy's." Peter stooped and picked up his son, who stirred and awakened. When he found himself in his father's arms Junior clung to him and whispered over and over: "Father, dear father!" Peter gripped him with all his might and whispered back: "Forgive me son! Forgive me!" "Well I don't know what for?" sobbed Junior. "You will before long," said Peter. He drove to a cool place, and let the car stand while he called his wife, and explained all of the situation he saw fit. She was waiting at the gate when they came. She never said a word except to urge Junior to eat his supper. But Junior had no appetite. "I want to run things here for a few minutes," he said. "When the children finish, put them to bed, and then let me tell you, and you can decide what you'll do to me." "Well, don't you worry about that," said Peter. "No I won't," said Junior, "because there's nothing you can do that will be half I deserve." When the little folks were asleep, and Mickey had helped Mrs. Harding finish the work, and Jud Jason had been paid five dollars for his contract and had gone home, Junior lay in the hammock on the front porch, while his father, mother and Mickey sat close. When he started to speak Peter said: "Now Junior, wait a minute! You've been gone a week, and during that time I've used my brains more than I ever did in a like period, even when I was courting your Ma, and the subject I laboured on was what took you away from us. I've found out why you were not satisfied, and who made you dissatisfied. The guilty party is Peter Harding, aided and abetted by one Nancy Harding, otherwise known as Ma----" "Why father!" interrupted Junior.