Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III A WAIF FINDS A PROTECTOR Sheridan had ridden but a short distance when he heard a faint squeaking much like the sound he had been wont to produce in his childhood days by the aid of a comb and a piece of paper. He traced the sound to a tree underneath which sat Olynthus sawing vigorously if not musically on the one remaining string of his violin. Sheridan stopped his car. "How did you get here?" he asked in surprise. " A man came along in an automobile and let me ride as far as town." " But where are you going? " " I don't know. Just tramping. That's my trade — I'm a rover of the woods," Olynthus explained proudly. " Haven't you been horte since your hunting expedition? " " No! " replied Olynthus with a sigh. " Shesaid not to come home unless I fetched something." " And you didn't get a shot at anything? " " No; you see the children, except Bert, tagged me down to the woods and we got to meanderin' about, pickin' flowers and things, and I forgot where I'd left the gun. After a spell Bert came along. He had catched a big string of fish and he said I'd catch something else if I didn't find that gun, 'cause it had belonged to his pa. We couldn't none of us find it, so Bert said I'd better beat it for a couple of days till she got over the worst of it. He's a good boy, Bert. He put that ten cents you gave him in my pocket. It hurts Bert to part with money, too." " See here," said Sheridan impulsively, " I had good entertainment at your house, and I'd like to return the favor. I'll buy some game in the next town for you to take home as a peace offering, and we'll get your fiddle strung. Then you can get a lift back to Sand Holler." "No," replied Olynthus resignedly. "It's right kind in you, but I'm thinking I'd favor a change for a few d...