got a clove-hitch onto Prince. He had to give him
one or two welts over the head 'fore he could do it; the dog acted like
he'd been cheated. Then I pried myself loose from that blessed limb
and shinned down to solid ground. My! but I was b'iling inside.
'Taint pleasant to be made a show afore folks, but 'twas the feller's
condescending what-excuse-you-got-for-living manners that riled me most.

"I picked up what was left of the dreeners and walked over to the fence.
That field was just sowed, as you might say, with clams. If they ever
sprouted 'twould make a tip-top codfish pasture.

"'You see,' says Allie, talking to Barbara; 'the gov'nor told me he'd
been plagued with trespassers, so I thought I'd give 'em a lesson. But
neighbors, when they're scarce as ours are, ought to be friends. Don't
you think so, Miss--? Er--Nickerson,' says he, 'introduce me to our
other neighbor.'

"So I had to do it, though I didn't want to. He turned loose some soft
soap about not realizing afore what a beautiful place the Cape was. I
thought 'twas time to go.

"'But Miss Saunders hasn't answered my question yet,' says Allie. 'Don't
YOU think neighbors ought to be friends, Miss Saunders?'

"Barbara blushed and laughed and said she guessed they had. Then she
walked away. I started to follow, but Allie stopped me.

"'Look here, Nickerson,' says he. 'I let you off this time, but don't
try it again; do you hear?'

"'I hear,' says I. 'You and that hyena of yours have had all the fun
this morning. Some day, maybe, the boot'll be on t'other leg.'

"Barbara was waiting for me. We walked on together without speaking for
a minute. Then I says, to myself like: 'So that's old man Davidson's
son, is it? Well, he's the prize peach in the crate, he is!'

"Barbara was thinking, too. 'He's very nice looking, isn't he?' says
she. 'Twas what you'd expect a girl to say, but I hated to hear her say
it. I went home and marked a big chalk-mark on the inside of my shanty
door, signifying that I had a debt so pay some time or other.

"So that's how I got acquainted with Allie V. P. Davidson. And, what's
full as important, that's how he got acquainted with Barbara Saunders.

"Shutting an innocent canary-bird up in the same room with a healthy cat
is a more or less risky proposition for the bird. Same way, if you take
a pretty country girl who's been to sea with her dad most of the time
and tied to the apron-strings of a deef old aunt in a house three
mil