Page:Along the Trail (1912).pdf/31

 once, and—" then suddenly he stopped and caught his breath and, running across the trail, he began pounding on the trunk of a tree beside the way.

Marjorie watched him in utter astonishment. "Now, why in the world did you do that?" she exclaimed, as he came back and started to take up the conversation where he had left off.

"Oh, one has to," explained the boy. "She will punish you if you say a thing like that and don't knock on wood immediately after. She would take my knife away from me."

"But what difference does knocking on wood make?—and why does She have such perfectly ridiculous rules?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't know," he said;—"only everybody says that we have to do things her way or be punished."

"But you never really are punished?"

"No," said the boy.

"Nor rewarded?"

"No."