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“I don’t want ter even up with King Herod, now, sure!” he averred to himself one night as he sat late over the embers, reviewing his plans all made. He thought much in these lone hours as He heard the wind speed past, the trees crack under their weight of snow, and noted through the tiny window the glister of a great star of a supernal lustre, high above the pines, what a freight of joy the tidings of this child would bear to the bleeding hearts of his kindred. Albeit so humble, the parallel must needs arise suggesting the everlasting joy the existence of another Child had brought to the souls of all kindreds, all peoples. “Peace, peace,” he reiterated, as the red coals crumbled and the gray ash spread; “Peace an’ good-will!”

The words seemed to epitomize all religion, all value, all hope’ and somehow they so dwelt in his mind that the next day he was moved to add a personal message to old Boss Gilhooley in sending the more important information to Bruce.

“Let on ter Boss,” he charged the envoy, “ez–ez–that thar jedgmint an’ execution issued war jes’ formal–ye mought say–jes’ ter hev all the papers reg’lar.”

By virtue of more attrition with the world the mail-rider was more sophisticated than his enemy, and sooth to say, more sophistical.

“Boss is writ-proof, the old fool, though he war minded ter cut me out’n my levy if he could! But waal, jes’ tell him from me ez we-uns hev hed a heap o’ pleasure in the baby’s company in the Chris ‘mus, an’ we-uns expec’ ter borry him some whenst they all gits home!”

To the child’s kindred the news was as if he had risen from the dead, and the gratitude of the Gilhooleys to Petrie knew no bounds. They had accounted the baby drowned when, missing him, they had retraced their way, finding naught but a bit of old blanket on which he had lain, close to the verge of the cruel river. Boss Gilhooley, softened and rendered tractable by exile and sorrow, upon his return lent himself to an affected warmth toward Peter Petrie which gradually assumed all the fervors of sincerity. The neighbors indeed were moved to say that the two friends and ancient enemies, when both on all fours and barking for the delight of the baby, were never so little like dogs in all their lives.

Thus a child shall lead them.