He read it with great earnestness.

He took it to bed with him in the loft and read till his 'nubbin' of candle burned out.

Then he placed the book between the logs of the cabin, that it might be near as soon as it was light enough in the morning to read.

In the night a heavy rain came up and he awoke to find his book wet through and through.

Drying it as well as he could, he went to Crawford and told him of the mishap.