n the Bible lak a racin' pony. Susan, our eldest
gal, is a little the rise o' fourteen, an' wuz counted the best spellah
in the school last wintah. The twins, Lucindy an' Lucy, air real peart,
too, fur ther age, jes' turned intah ther ninth year. Tommy, he's only
five, but his pap'll sign him, too; fur we want him brung 'long fast in
his books befoh he's big 'nough to holp with the wuck."

"That leaves only your youngest, I believe," said Dudley. "What is his
name?"

"His real name is Barton Warren Stone, aftah our preachah. Mason he
sets a big store by Preachah Stone--says he's the godliest man to be so
smart an' the smartest man to be so godly he evah seen; an' you know
them two things don't allus jump togethah."

"No, indeed," acknowledged Dudley; "they're not so often found in
company as one might wish."

"Jes' so," assented Mrs. Rogers. "Well, ez I was a-sayin', Brothah
Stone hed been preachin' fur us onct a month at Cane Redge
meetin'-house 'bout a year when our youngest wuz borned; an' nothin'
would do Mason but he must be called fur the preachah. It's a
well-soundin' name, I think myse'f. So we writ it down in the big
Bible, but, la! he might ez well be called aftah Ebenezer or Be'lzebub
or any the rest o' them Ole Testament prophets. 'Bart,' or 'Barty,' is
all he evah gits o' his big name, an' most times it's jes' 'Sonny' or
'Buddy.' But I reckon you're nigh 'bout starved, aftah ridin' so fur,"
she added, folding her sewing and rising briskly. "Heah, you kin look
ovah last week's paper tell the men folks gits in. We air mighty proud
o' that paper. It's the fust evah printed in Kaintuck. Mason an' Henry
sets up tell nigh onto nine o'clock readin' it, the fust night aftah it
comes. It's printed at Lexin'ton by John Bradford. He usetah live out
heah, but, ten or twelve year ago, he moved intah Lexin'ton an' started
up the 'Gazette,' an' I reckon it's 'bout the fines' paper whut evah
wuz; leastways, it makes mighty fine trimmin's fur the cup'od shelves."

When his garrulous hostess had departed, Dudley, instead of reading the
paper, looked about him. The chinked log walls of the room and the
stout beams overhead were whitewashed, and the four tiny windows were
curtained with spotless dimity. The high-posted bedstead was furnished
with a plump feather bed, a bright patchwork quilt, and fat pillows in
coarse but well-bleached slips. Underneath the four-poster was a
trundle-bed with a blue and white checked cover