Wal, the upshot on't was, they fussed and fuzzled and wuzzled till
they'd drinked up all the tea in the teapot; and then they went down and
called on the parson, and wuzzled him all up talkin' about this, that,
and t'other that wanted lookin' to, and that it was no way to leave
every thing to a young chit like Huldy, and that he ought to be lookin'
about for an experienced woman. The parson he thanked 'em kindly, and
said he believed their motives was good, but he didn't go no further.
He didn't ask Mis' Pipperidge to come and stay there and help him, nor
nothin' o' that kind; but he said he'd attend to matters himself. The
fact was, the parson had got such a likin' for havin' Huldy 'round, that
he couldn't think o' such a thing as swappin' her off for the Widder
Pipperidge.

"But he thought to himself, 'Huldy is a good girl; but I oughtn't to
be a leavin' every thing to her,--it's too hard on her. I ought to be
instructin' and guidin' and helpin' of her; 'cause 'tain't everybody
could be expected to know and do what Mis' Carryl did;' and so at it he
went; and Lordy massy! didn't Huldy hev a time on't when the minister
began to come out of his study, and want to tew 'round and see to
things? Huldy, you see, thought all the world of the minister, and she
was 'most afraid to laugh; but she told me she couldn't, for the life of
her, help it when his back was turned, for he wuzzled things up in the
most singular way. But Huldy she'd jest say 'Yes, sir,' and get him off
into his study, and go on her own way.

"'Huldy,' says the minister one day, 'you ain't experienced out doors;
and, when you want to know any thing, you must come to me.'

"'Yes, sir,' says Huldy.

"'Now, Huldy,' says the parson, 'you must be sure to save the
turkey-eggs, so that we can have a lot of turkeys for Thanksgiving.'

"'Yes, sir,' says Huldy; and she opened the pantry-door, and showed
him a nice dishful she'd been a savin' up. Wal, the very next day the
parson's hen-turkey was found killed up to old Jim Scroggs's barn. Folks
said Scroggs killed it; though Scroggs, he stood to it he didn't: at
any rate, the Scroggses, they made a meal on't; and Huldy, she felt bad
about it 'cause she'd set her heart on raisin' the turkeys; and says
she, 'Oh, dear! I don't know what I shall do. I was just ready to see
[set] her.'

"'Do, Huldy?' says the parson: 'why, there's the other turkey, out there
by the door; and a fine bird, too, he is.' Sure enough, ther