would be gettin' it. And she was pleased as anything, me lad, and now
it's up to us to rig up some sort of a dacint sate, and tag a woman
along half the time. You thick-tongued descindint of a bagpipe baboon,
what did you sind me in there for?"

"Maybe a little of it will tire her," groaned Dannie.

"It will if she undertakes to follow me," Jimmy said. "I know where
horse-weeds grow giraffe high."

Then they went back to work, and presently many savory odors began to
steal from the cabin. Whereat Jimmy looked at Dannie, and winked an
'I-told-you-so' wink. A garden grows fast under the hands of two strong
men really working, and by the time the first slice of sugar-cured ham
from the smoke house for that season struck the sizzling skillet, and
Mary very meekly called from the back door to know if one of them
wanted to dig a little horse radish, the garden was almost ready for
planting. Then they went into the cabin and ate fragrant, thick slices
of juicy fried ham, seasoned with horse radish; fried eggs, freckled
with the ham fat in which they were cooked; fluffy mashed potatoes,
with a little well of melted butter in the center of the mound
overflowing the sides; raisin pie, soda biscuit, and their own maple
syrup.

"Ohumahoh!" said Jimmy. "I don't know as I hanker for city life so much
as I sometimes think I do. What do you suppose the adulterated stuff we
read about in papers tastes like?"

"I've often wondered," answered Dannie. "Look at some of the hogs and
cattle that we see shipped from here to city markets. The folks that
sell them would starve before they'd eat a bit o' them, yet somebody
eats them, and what do ye suppose maple syrup made from hickory bark
and brown sugar tastes like?"

"And cold-storage eggs, and cotton-seed butter, and even horse radish
half turnip," added Mary. "Bate up the cream a little before you put it
in your coffee, or it will be in lumps. Whin the cattle are on clover
it raises so thick."

Jimmy speared a piece of salt-rising bread crust soaked in ham gravy
made with cream, and said: "I wish I could bring that Thrid Man home
with me to one meal of the real thing nixt time he strikes town. I
belave he would injoy it. May I, Mary?"

Mary's face flushed slightly. "Depends on whin he comes," she said. "Of
course, if I am cleaning house, or busy with something I can't put
off----"

"Sure!" cried Jimmy. "I'd ask you before I brought him, because I'd
want him to have something spi