e
time and time again, and helped himself. I ain't going to say he
stole; he helped himself. He helped himself to our kindling wood, and
our hammer, and our spade, and our rake. After the spade went, I made
a notch on the rake-handle so I could tell it, and when that went, I
slipped over to Mr. Basset's one day when I knew he wasn't there, and
there was our rake in his shed. I said nothing to nobody, but I just
brought our rake home again, and I hid it where he didn't find it
again. Mr. Means, though he's a lawyer, looks out sharper for other
folks' belongings than he does for his own. He'd never say anything;
he went and bought another spade and hammer, and he'd bought another
rake if I hadn't got that.

"When that little Crossman boy said he'd seen Mr. Basset coming out
of our yard tucking something under his coat, it put me right on the
track, though I couldn't think what he wanted with that little piece
of rope. I should have thought he wanted it to mend a harness with,
but his old horse died last winter; folks said he didn't have enough
to eat, but I ain't going to pass any judgment on that, and I knew he
sold his old harness, because the man he sold it to had been to Mr.
Means to get damages for being taken in. The harness had broke, and
his horse had run away, and the man declared that that harness had
been glued together in places.

"But I don't know anything about that. The poor man is dead, and if
he glued his harness, it's for him to give account of, not me. I
couldn't think what he wanted that rope for, but I felt mad. The rope
wasn't worth much, but it was his helping himself to it, without
leave or license, that riled me, and there were my clean clothes all
down in the dirt--there they are now, you can see 'em there--and I
knew I'd got to wash 'em over.

"So I made up my mind I'd got spunk enough, and I'd go right over
there and tell Simon Basset I wanted my rope. So I took off my apron
and clapped it over my shoulders--I've had a little rheumatism
lately, and the wind's kind of cold to-day--and I run over there.

"I--don't know what came over me. When I got to the house, a chill
struck all through my bones. I trembled like a leaf. I felt as if
something had happened. I thought, at first, I'd turn around and go
home, and then I thought I wouldn't be so silly, that it was just
nerves, and nothing had happened. I went round to the side door, and
I didn't see him puttering around anywhere, so I peeked in