rney. The stage, which passed
regularly through our village once a day, accommodating those who
wished to go north one day, and those who wished to go south the next,
picked me and my baggage up, at my father's door. A very young lady,
an acquaintance of mine, and two stranger gentlemen, were the only
passengers besides myself, until we reached the next town, five miles
distant, where we stopped to change horses. When we got into the coach
again, at this place, we found a new passenger safely stowed away in
one corner of the back seat.

This passenger was an old lady, of a class sometimes found in our
country villages, who are aunts to everybody, and claim the greater
part of the younger portion of the community as sheer boys and girls.
It seems the driver was one of her boys, and, on account of his being
so nearly related, she claimed a free passage. She was already
_there_, and the driver had to choose between these two things--either
to admit her claim, or to turn her out. He wisely concluded to make a
virtue of necessity. It would not answer to be rude to Aunt Polly, he
thought. Some of the other nephews and nieces might think him cruel.

But there was another question to be settled. She had possession of
the back seat. This would hardly do on the strength of a free ticket,
when it was claimed by those who had paid their passage.

"You must get up, Aunt Polly," said the driver, "and let these ladies
have the back seat."

But Aunt Polly, alas! declared, in the most positive manner, that she
_could not_ ride on the middle seat.

"Yes you _can_," said the driver, "and you _must_; so get up."

But Aunt Polly was by no means easily moved. She still, to the no
small vexation of the driver, kept on saying that she could not ride
on the middle seat. In this state of things one of the gentlemen
undertook the task of settling matters, and, addressing me, inquired
which seat I preferred. All the instructions which I had received at
once rushed to my mind. Now was the time to put them in practice--to
let it be known that I was not going to give up my seat to any one,
certainly not to one who had no claim to it. So drawing myself up to
my full height--which was nothing to boast of, by the way--I answered
with becoming dignity, "I prefer the back seat, sir."

He then turned to my companion, and said, "Which seat do you prefer?"

"It makes no difference with me, sir," was the modest reply.

A smile passed over the face o