and Mr. Elderkin, he 's a deakin in the church, and a colonel in the
malitia, and a s'lectman, and pretty much atop every thing there is
goin' in Sherburne, and it all come of that 'are pitcher."

"What pitcher?" we shouted in chorus.

"Lordy massy! that 'are 's jest what I'm a goin' to tell you about; but,
ye see, a feller's jest got to make a beginnin' to all things.

"Mis' Elderkin she thinks she's a gret lady nowadays, I s'pose; but I
'member when she was Miry Brown over here 'n Oldtown, and I used to be
waitin' on her to singing-school.

"Miry and I was putty good friends along in them days,--we was putty
consid'able kind o' intimate. Fact is, boys, there was times in them
days when I thought whether or no I wouldn't _take_ Miry myself," said
Sam, his face growing luminous with the pleasing idea of his former
masculine attractions and privileges. "Yis," he continued, "there was
a time when folks said I could a hed Miry ef I'd asked her; and I putty
much think so myself, but I didn't say nothin': marriage is allers kind
o'ventursome; an' Miry had such up-and-down kind o' ways, I was sort o'
fraid on't.

"But Lordy massy! boys, you mustn't never tell Hepsy I said so, 'cause
she'd be mad enough to bite a shingle-nail in two. Not that she sets
so very gret by me neither; but then women's backs is allers up ef they
think anybody else could a hed you, whether they want you themselves or
not.

"Ye see, Miry she was old Black Hoss John Brown's da'ter, and lived up
there in that 'are big brown house by the meetin'-house, that hes the
red hollyhock in the front yard. Miry was about the handsomest gal that
went into the singers' seat a Sunday.

"I tell you she wa'n't none o' your milk-and-sugar gals neither,--she
was 'mazin' strong built. She was the strongest gal in her arms that I
ever see. Why, I 've seen Miry take up a barrel o' flour, and lift it
right into the kitchen; and it would jest make the pink come into her
cheeks like two roses, but she never seemed to mind it a grain. She had
a good strong back of her own, and she was straight as a poplar, with
snappin' black eyes, and I tell you there was a snap to her tongue too.
Nobody never got ahead o' Miry; she'd give every fellow as good as he
sent, but for all that she was a gret favorite.

"Miry was one o' your briery, scratchy gals, that seems to catch fellers
in thorns. She allers fit and flouted her beaux, and the more she fit
and flouted 'em the more they