“Yes, sir.  I couldn’t stand it any longer.  The farmer and his hired man used to whip me if I made a mistake, or if I didn’t get up early enough.  And they used to get up before daylight.  So I made up my mind to run away, and go back to the city.

“I used to think the country was nice,” the ragged boy went on, “but I don’t any more.  I don’t mind working, but I don’t want to be starved and whipped all the while.  So I ran off, but I guess I got lost, for I can’t find the way back to the city.  I don’t know what to do.  When I got here, and saw that sign about resting, I thought that was what I needed.  So I came in.”

“And I’m glad you did,” said Mrs. Brown.  “Now you eat this and you’ll feel better.  Then I’ll look at your sore foot, and we’ll see what to do with you.”

“You—­you won’t have me arrested; will you?” asked the boy.

“No, indeed!” said Mr. Brown.

“And you—­you won’t send me back to that farmer?”

“No, I think not.  He has no right to make you work for him if you don’t want to.  Don’t be afraid,” said Bunny’s father.  “We’ll look after you.”

A little later the ragged boy had eaten a good meal.  Then he was given some of Bunker Blue’s old clothes, for he was almost as large as the red-haired boy, and the old clothes were thrown away.

Mr. Brown looked at the boy’s sore foot, and found that there was a big sharp thorn in one toe.  When this thorn had been taken out, and the toe bound up with salve, the ragged boy said he felt much better.  Perhaps I shouldn’t call him a ragged boy any longer, for he was not, with Bunker’s clothes on.

“Mother, is he going to stay with us?” asked Bunny that evening when it was nearly supper time, and the new boy—­Tom Vine—­had gone after a pail of water at the spring.

“Would you care to have him stay?” asked Mrs. Brown.

“Yes,” said Sue.  “He’s nice.  I like him.”

“Well, we’ll keep him for a while,” answered Mrs. Brown.  “He needs help, I think.”

Tom Vine told more of his story after supper.  He had never been away from the city’s pavements in all his life before he went out to the country with the farmer who hired him.  He had never seen the ocean, or the woods.  He did not even know that cows gave milk until he saw the farmer’s hired man milking one day.

“I just don’t know anything about the woods or the country,” the boy said to Bunny and Sue, “so you can fool me all you like.”

“Oh, we won’t fool you,” said Bunny kindly.  “We’ll tell you all we know.”

“Thanks,” said Tom Vine.

He had offered to travel on, after supper, and try to get back to the city.

“I don’t want to be a trouble to you folks,” he said to Mrs. Brown.  “In the city I know some fellows, and they’ll lend me money enough to buy some papers, and start in business.”

“You had better stay with us awhile,” said Mrs. Brown.  “We have enough room for you, and you can help about camp.”