The poor child may be dead," he said to himself in a startled tone.

"I must carry him home, and see what I can do for him." So he took up tenderly our young hero--for our readers will have guessed that it was Phil--and put both him and his violin into the sleigh.

Then he drove home with a speed which astonished even his horse, who, though anxious to reach his comfortable stable, would not voluntarily have put forth so great an exertion as was now required of him.
I must explain that Phil had for the last ten days been traveling about the country, getting on comfortably while the ground was bare of snow.
To-day, however, had proved very uncomfortable.

In the city the snow would have been cleared off, and would not have interfered so much with traveling.
He had bought some supper at a grocery store, and, after spending an hour there, had set out again on his wanderings.

He found the walking so bad that he made up his mind to apply for a lodging at a house not far back; but a fierce dog, by his barking, had deterred him from the application.