His Big Opportunity | Page 9

years out of sight.
Dudley and Roy were eagerly helping and chattering as only boys
know how.
"This little ravine has been formed by a mountain stream rushing

down," continued the old man, resting on his spade for a minute; "'tis a
good principle, Master Dudley, to trust grown-up folks' knowledge
better than your own."
[Illustration: "Old Principle laughed at Dudley's notion."]
"I wish," said Roy, reflectively, "that this cave was nearer home; it
would be so lovely to come out whenever we wanted to, wouldn't it,
Dudley? Perhaps some king has hidden away in it, or soldier when he
was pursued by his enemies!"
"Hulloo," said Dudley, looking up the hill; "here is such a funny
looking woman coming down with a donkey, her skirt is nearly up to
her knees, and she has a man's boots on."
Old Principle paused in his work, and in a minute or two greeted the
newcomer.
"Good-afternoon, Mrs. Cullen, how's your husband to-day?"
"Badly, very badly, but I's forced to leave he. I lock the door and put
the key in me pocket, for I's bin up the hill yonner cuttin' peat sin seven
o'clock this mornin'. He do get awfu' lonesome, he say, an' if me niece
hadn't a married and gone to 'Merica, I should have kept she to tend
him."
"Who is she?" asked Roy, as after a few more words the woman moved
on.
"She lives at the bottom of the hill over there. Her husband has been ill
of consumption these last two years, and she works to support them
both. She's a hard-working woman, is Martha Cullen; she works in the
fields harvesting just now; if I could feel I'd be welcome I would go to
sit with her husband sometimes, but she's very queer, she won't let a
neighbor come near him, I have tried more than once. It seems hard on
him to be bedridden there day after day without a soul to speak to; or
any one to give him a drink!"

Roy gazed thoughtfully after the retreating figure of the woman, and
then turned his attention again to the cave.
When an hour later he and Dudley were walking home footsore, and
rather dirty, but with little bundles of treasures from the cave in their
grubby hands, he startled his cousin by saying--
"To-morrow we'll go and see Martha Cullen's husband. It's an
opportunity for us."
"How shall we get in?" queried Dudley.
"Climb in at the window. She told old Principle she would be out all
day at Farmer Stubbs. We'll go and do him good."
"How?"
"We'll wash his face, and make him a cup of tea, and sweep his room,
and give him his medicine," responded Roy, readily; "that's what nurse
does when she goes to visit any of Aunt Judy's sick people."
Dudley did not look as if he relished the prospect before him.
"That's girls' and women's work," he said; "boys needn't do that kind of
thing."
Roy flushed up angrily.
"All right, if you don't want to come, stay at home. It is a week since
we started to do good when the opportunity came, and we haven't done
any good to any one. I'm not going to waste any more time."
Then after a pause he added, "Besides I think it will be rather fun
breaking into a strange cottage; we may have to get down the
chimney."
At this Dudley's face cleared.
"I'll come," he said; "we'll go directly after dinner."

"And we'll stow away a little of our pudding to take him--sick people
always have puddings."
They had no difficulty in carrying out this plan. They always dined in
the nursery, and if nurse wondered at the amount of pudding that her
charges managed to consume that day, her old eyes were not sharp
enough to detect the transfer from plates to pockets. She sent them out
into the garden to play, and they soon were scampering out of the back
gate and along the road toward the little cottage at the bottom of the
hill.
It was a warm afternoon, and when they at length came near it they
threw themselves down on the grass to rest.
"We mustn't frighten the old man," said Dudley, gazing at the thatched
cottage with a critical eye. "I see the windows are tight shut in front,
but there's one open at the side; we must creep up very quietly and get
in before he sees us, and then we can explain who we are."
"And if the window won't do, we'll try the chimney, it looks a jolly big
one."
Then after a pause--
"I suppose he'll be glad to see us?"
"Of course he will. He must be dreadfully dull all alone."
A few minutes after, they