ose they overcharged you because a city man wanted the animals.
But of course you would not allow me to be robbed."

"Oh, 'course not, Mr. Merrick!"

"And that nag in the stable is a sorry old beast."

Peggy was in despair. Why in the world hadn't he charged for "the
beast"? As it was now too late to add it to the bill he replied,
grudgingly:

"The hoss you mention belongs to the place, sir. It went with the farm,
'long o' Old Hucks an' Nora."

"I'm glad you reminded me of those people," said Uncle John, seriously.
"Tell me their history."

Louise sauntered from the house, at this juncture, and sank gracefully
upon the grass at her uncle's feet. She carried a book, but did not
open it.

"Ain't much to tell, sir, 'bout them folks," replied the agent. "Cap'n
Wegg brung the Huckses with him when he settled here. Wegg were a
sea-cap'n, ye see, an' when he retired he Wanted to git as far from the
sea's he could."

"That was strange. A sailor usually loves to be near salt water all his
days," observed Uncle John.

"Wall, Wegg he were diff'rent. He come here when I were a boy, bringin'
a sad-faced young woman an' Ol' Hucks an' Nora. I s'pose Hucks were a
sailor, too, though he never says nuthin' 'bout that. The Cap'n bought
this no'count farm an' had this house built on it--a proceedin' that, ef
I do say it, struck ev'rybody as cur'ous."

"It _was_ curious," agreed Mr. Merrick.

"But the cur'ous'est thing was thet he didn't make no 'tempt at farmin'.
Folks said he had money to burn, fer he loaded it into this fool house
an' then sot down an' smoked all day an' looked glum. Ol' Hucks planted
the berry patch an' looked arter the orchard an' the stock; but Cap'n
Wegg on'y smoked an' sulked. People at Millville was glad to leave him
alone, an' the on'y friend he ever had were crazy Will Thompson."

"Crazy?"

"As a loon." The agent hitched uneasily on the lawn bench, where he was
seated, and then continued, hastily: "But thet ain't neither here ner
there. A baby was born arter a time, an' while he was young the
sad-faced mother sickened an' died. Cap'n Wegg give her a decent fun'ral
an' went right on smokin' his pipe an' sulkin', same as ever. Then
he--he--died," rather lamely, "an' Joe--thet's the boy--bein' then about
sixteen, dug out 'n' run away. We hain't seen him sense."

"Nice boy?" asked Uncle John.

"Joe were pretty well liked here, though he had a bit o' his dad's
sulkiness. He 'n' Ethel Thompson--craz