He filled a basket with early strawberries and went across to the Hayden place , boldly enough to all appearance , but with his heart thumping like any schoolboy 's . The front door stood hospitably open , flanked by rows of defiant red and yellow hollyhocks . Harrington paused on the step , with his hand outstretched to knock . Somewhere inside he heard a low sobbing . Forgetting all about knocking , he stepped softly in and walked to the door of the little sitting-room . Bobbles was standing behind him in the middle of the kitchen but Harrington did not see him . He was looking at Mary Hayden , who was sitting by the table in the room with her arms flung out over it and her head bowed on them . She was crying softly in a hopeless fashion . Harrington put down his strawberries . `` Mary ! '' he exclaimed . Mrs. Hayden straightened herself up with a start and looked at him , her lips quivering and her eyes full of tears . `` What is the matter ? '' said Harrington anxiously . `` Is anything wrong ? '' `` Oh , nothing much , '' Said Mrs. Hayden , trying to recover herself . `` Yes , there is too . But it is very foolish of me to be going on like this . I did n't know anyone was near . And I was feeling so discouraged .
The colt broke his leg in the swamp pasture today and Hiram had XXXXX shoot him .
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