Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/402

386 his bronzed face that indicated that he was once more strong and well. Snow was on the ground, but the appearance of his horse showed that he had in nowise suffered from the cold. Robert halted in front of a little clearing which he recognized as the one where he had received aid from the good woman whose husband called her "Martha." Suddenly he decided to go up to the house and thank her for all she had done for him; but when he rapped loudly upon the door, he discovered that the house was deserted. It was long after the war was ended that he was enabled to thank the good woman for her help, but when and where he met her are outside the limits of this present tale.

Swiftly Robert resumed his journey, and not long afterwards arrived at the house he was seeking. There Joseph and Hannah met him at the door, and after Joseph had warmly greeted his friend, his sister said sharply, "Why did n't you stop here last October, when Joe invited you? Did n't you want to?"

"You know I did, Hannah," replied Robert, with a laugh.

"Why did n't you, then?"

"Because I had to do what I ought to do first. I wanted to stop, but I knew I ought to