e engaged to Mistah Thomas." And she smiled on the individual in
question.

Crestfallen and bewildered, Aleck felt of his back and took off his
coat. He squeezed the rubber rabbit so hard that it exploded with a
bang, scaring himself and the others.

"Dat's a trick on me!" roared the Rover's man, and tore the rabbit from
his coat. "Dem boys did dat!"

"I can't see yo' to-night, or any udder night, Mistah Pop," said the
widow. "I'se engaged to Mistah Thomas."

"Den good-night," growled Aleck, and turning on his heel he started for
home.

Tom and Sam saw that he was angry, yet they had to roar at the scene
presented. They wondered what Aleck would say when he got back to the
farm.

"We have got to square ourselves," said Tom.

"How are you going to do it?"

"Oh, we'll do it somehow."

They took the short-cut, but so did Aleck, and consequently all three
soon met.

"Yo' played dat joke--yo' can't go fo' to deny it!" cried the colored
man.

"We are not going to deny it, Aleck," said Tom. "But it was no joke. We
did it for your good."

"Huh!"

"We certainly did," put in Sam. "Why, Aleck, we can't bear to think of
your getting married and leaving us."

"Huh!"

"We want you to stay with us," said Tom. "Besides, that widow has a lot
of children and is after your money."

"She ain't got but two chillen. She had moah, but she dun told me all
but two was in de seminary."

"The seminary?" queried Tom. Then a light broke in on him. "You mean
the cemetery."

"Persackly--de place da puts de dead folks."

"Well, they are in the cemetery right enough--but they are a long way
from being dead."

"Wot yo' mean, Tom?"

"We saw her send five of them away this evening--she told 'em to go to
the cemetery and stay there awhile."

"Wot! Yo' is fooling dis chile!"

"It is absolutely true," said Sam. "I am quite sure she has seven
children."

"Huh! If dat's de case dat Thomas nigger can hab her," grumbled Aleck,
and walked on. "But I ain't takin' yo' word fo' dis," he added
cautiously. "I'se gwine to make a few investigations to-morrow."

"Do so--and you'll thank us from the bottom of your heart," answered
Tom; and there the subject was dropped. It may be added here that later
on Aleck discovered that the widow had ten children and was head over
heels in debt, and he was more than glad that the boys had played the
trick on him, and that the other colored man had gained Mrs. Taylor's
hand.

CHAPTER IV