"Arnold Dempsey's message, written to his dad when he thought he might
never see him again, doesn't belong to us," he said decidedly. "The
note was given in trust to me, and since I can't deliver it-- or at
least, since there is now no reason for delivering it-- the only thing
I can honorably do is this." And very slowly and very decidedly he
tore the note into little bits and threw the pieces among the wild
roses at the side of the porch.
It was the first real glimpse the girls had had of the man who had
come back in the old Frank's place, and with all their hearts they
admired him.
Even Grace, who had seemed inclined to pout a little, could not but
admit that the action was splendid in him.
"And now," said Will, "after all that, the boys will come back to find
their dad gone, heaven knows where, dead perhaps----"
"Oh, I wonder if there isn't some way we can follow him and find out
at least what has happened to him?" broke in Amy earnestly. "It seems
dreadful just to sit back and not even try to help,"
"I don't see what we can do," said Will judicially, just as Mrs.
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