shen. "Jimmy, dear auld fellow," he said, "how long
has this been going on?"

"A million years," said Jimmy, shifting the corn-cutter to the hand
that held his hat, that he might moisten his fingers with saliva and
rub it across his parched lips.

"Jimmy, dear," Dannie's hand was on Jimmy's sleeve. "Have ye been to
town in the nicht, or anything like that lately?"

"No, Dannie, dear, I ain't," sneered Jimmy, setting his hat on the back
of his head and testing the corn-cutter with his thumb. "This ain't
Casey's, me lad. I've no more call there, at this minute, than you
have."

"It is Casey's, juist the same," said Dannie bitterly. "Dinna ye know
the end of this sort of thing?"

"No, bedad, I don't!" said Jimmy. "If I knew any way to ind it, you can
bet I've had enough. I'd ind it quick enough, if I knew how. But the
railroad wouldn't be the ind. That would just be the beginnin'. Keep
close to me, Dannie, and talk, for mercy sake, talk! Do you think we
could finish the corn by noon?"

"Let's try!" said Dannie, as he squared his shoulders to adjust them to
his new load. "Then we'll get in the pumpkins this afternoon, and bury
the potatoes, and the cabbage and turnips, and then we're aboot fixed
fra winter."

"We must take one day, and gather our nuts," suggested Jimmy,
struggling to make his voice sound natural, "and you forgot the apples.
We must bury thim too."

"That's so," said Dannie, "and when that's over, we'll hae nothing left
to do but catch the Bass, and say farewell to the Kingfisher."

"I've already told you that I would relave you of all responsibility
about the Bass," said Jimmy, "and when I do, you won't need trouble to
make your adieus to the Kingfisher of the Wabash. He'll be one bird
that won't be migrating this winter."

Dannie tried to laugh. "I'd like fall as much as any season of the
year," he said, "if it wasna for winter coming next."

"I thought you liked winter, and the trampin' in the white woods, and
trappin', and the long evenings with a book."

"I do," said Dannie. "I must have been thinkin' of Mary. She hated last
winter so. Of course, I had to go home when ye were away, and the
nichts were so long, and so cold, and mony of them alone. I wonder if
we canna arrange fra one of her sister's girls to stay with her this
winter?"

"What's the matter with me?" asked Jimmy.

"Nothing, if only ye'd stay," answered Dannie.

"All I'll be out of nights, you could put in one eye," said