The title of Mr. Bunner's story is attractive and stimulating to
the imagination. The plot is slight, yet clever in its use of the
surprise element. Its leading character is a splendid illustration
of a hero worshipper who is himself the real hero. The atmosphere
is especially good. It is warmed by family affection and fragrant
with romance. This romance, as Mr. Grabo points out in "The Art of
the Short Story," is suggested rather than recorded. The running
away of the Judge's son and of his little admirer, the butcher
boy, really lies outside the story proper. "With these youthful
adventures the story has not directly to do, but the hints of the
antecedent action envelop the story with a romantic atmosphere.
The reader speculates upon the story suggested, and thereby is the
written story enriched and made a part of a larger whole."