"You've more learning than is good for you now," said Mrs. Meredith, sharply, as she re-entered the room and overheard the words. "Every time I want you there you are out of the way, with your face poked into a book. And me slaving my life away all the time. Is the baby asleep? Put her into the cradle, then. Come, men--dinner's ready." The sharp-faced, sharp-voiced mistress of the house bustled out. Jaquelina put the heavy child out of her tired, aching arms into the cradle, and sat down to rock it. Her full red lips were quivering; her dark eyes were misty with tears that her girlish pride would not suffer to fall. "How hard and unkind Aunt Meredith is," she said to herself. "Ah! if only papa and mamma had lived, how different my life would have been. I wish I had died, too. Shall I go on forever like this, minding the baby, washing the dishes, bringing the cows, serving as scape-goat for Aunt Meredith's ill tempers, and considered a burden in spite of all I can do to help? I wish when papa died he had left me to the alms-house at once." "Miss Jack-o'-lantern," said a voice at the window; and she looked around with a start. It was only a neighbor's cow-boy--a good-natured, ignorant negro lad, who had converted her odd name of Jaquelina into "Jack-o'-lantern." "Well," she said, "what do you want, Sambo? Why do you come to the window and frighten me so?" "I'm in a hurry, if you please, Miss Jack," said the lad. "Is your uncle at home?" "Yes--at dinner," said the girl. "Master sent me over to see if Mr. Meredith and his man would jine a party to hunt the horse-thieves to-night," said Sambo. "Squire Stanley's headin' it; his stable was robbed last night." Jaquelina went into the kitchen with her message, and Mr. Meredith came out himself. "Tell your master I'll be going over to the Grange meeting this afternoon, and I'll stop by and make arrangements to join them in the hunt," he said. He finished his dinner and started. The idea of the thief-hunt so inspired the plowman that he begged to be excused from working the balance of the day, and went away full of enthusiasm to join the gallant band of pursuers. Jaquelina washed the dishes, and while Mrs. Meredith sat by the cradle with her knitting, the girl took her book and sat down on the doorstep to read. Half an hour went by quietly. The hum of the bees and the warble of the birds were all that broke the silence, save the low whisper of the wind as it sighed among the trees. Jaquelina enjoyed the silence thoroughly, every moment dreading to hear the fretful wail of her aunt's baby, and to be summoned to tend it again. But lifting her head at last, as she turned a page, she saw a lady crossing the narrow foot-bridge that spanned the brook. "Aunt Meredith," she said, turning her head toward the sitting-room, "there's company coming."