fierce, although he was so small, that without another word the
other two ran away as fast as they could. Joel plunged after them,
angrier every minute, and instead of turning off to the "Pool,"
Jim and the other boy ran straight across Deacon Brown's field.

"Oh, now he'll catch 'em," thought Joel, joyfully, without a
thought of giving up the race. There was a man off in the
further corner of the field. "Mr. Br-own," screamed Joel,
shrilly. "Mr. Br-own!"

Jim and the other boy, seeing their mistake, turned off to the
undergrowth. "Hold on there!" commanded Deacon Brown, in a dreadful
voice. So there was nothing to do but stop.

[Illustration: "'GIVE ME BACK MY PAIL!'"]

But when he got to the spot where they stood rooted to the
ground, there were no worms in the pail, they having been
jiggled out in the chase. So Joel had to go back, and pick up
his pole with the string hanging to it, and carry that home and
his empty pail. "But that Jim Belden didn't have the worms,
anyway," he said, with great satisfaction.




VIII

WHY THEY SAID NO