Part 2 (1/2)

Auntie met them at the gate, with an anxious face.

”What has happened, children?” she asked, resignedly.

”Nothing, much, auntie,” answered Cricket, cheerfully. ”We lost the cart-wheel off, that's all. It was real fun coming home. We left it at the blacksmith's to get it mended.”

”So you've begun already,” said auntie, laughing, but relieved.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”OLD BILLY TELLS HIS STORY TO THE TWINS”]

CHAPTER III.

CRICKET'S DISCOVERY.

Old Billy sat in the front yard, under a big tree, telling stories to the twins. Perhaps I should say telling _a_ story, for Billy's range was limited to a single tale, and when he had told this, if any child wanted more, he simply had to tell it over again. It was a story with a moral, and was drawn from Billy's own experience. It was about a bad little boy, who ate up all his sister's pep'mint drops. This was the worst of crimes, in Billy's eyes, for to him pep'mint drops were a sacred possession, not even to be lightly referred to.

”His marmer,” went on Billy, impressively, ”kep' a-whippin' him, an'

a-whippin' him, but it warn't no kind o' use, an' didn't do a mite o'

good. And just think, children,” finished Billy, solemnly, ”when that bad, naughty, selfish little boy died, he couldn't go to Heaven and be a good little angel, but he had to go to the Bad Place.”

The children listened with wide-open eyes.

”Where is the Bad Place, Billy?” questioned Zaidee, looking interestedly up into Billy's face.

Billy looked slowly all about him, and above him, and then at the ground, puzzled, now, what to say. He was not very clear, himself. He looked again at the blue sky, flecked with soft, white clouds.

”Wal, I think, children,” he said, in his slow way, ”that Heaven is up there where all them little bright specks is at night. I guess them's holes in the floor. Can't see 'em daytimes, you know, when the lights are out, up above. 'N' I ruther guess t'other place is down under there, pointing to the ground.”

Helen jumped.

”Oh, I don't want it right under our foots. The ground might crack, Billy, and we'd fall in. _Please_ don't say it's there,” she begged, earnestly.

But Zaidee immediately began to poke the ground with great interest, and stamp hard upon it.

”Do you really think it's down there, Billy?” she asked, excitedly. ”Oh, Helen, let's dig and find it! How far down is it, Billy?”

”Wal, now, I dunno as it's down there at all. Dunno as it is, dunno _as_ it is. Folks say it's purty hot there.”

”I know a nice place to dig, Helen, and that's the sand-banks. They're so nice and soft. Let's go and try it.”

But Helen hung back, and Billy said, anxiously, ”I wouldn't. Folks say that Somebody lives there.”

”Who?” demanded Zaidee.

”Wal, folks says as Mr. Satan lives round them parts,” answered Billy, cautiously.

”Oh, don't let's dig, Zaidee, I'm afraid,” said timid little Helen, clinging to Zaidee's hand. ”He might not like it, if we finded him.”

Zaidee, always more daring than her delicate little twin, did not think so.