at that! Ought to have been there and seen the expression on Hiram's
face! I reckon I've shown him a few things in politics that will last
him for an object-lesson."

"I suppose they'll want to keep you in for life, now," she said with
patient resignation. "And I had so hoped--"

She did not finish. He looked at her quizzically for a little while
and her expression touched him.

"I was intendin' to string the agony out and keep you on tenter-hooks
a little spell, Louada Murilla," he went on. "But I hain't got the
heart to do it. All is, they wouldn't accept that resignation, just
as I've told you. It makes a man feel pretty good to be as popular
as that in his own town. Of course it wasn't all love and abidin'
affection--I had to go out last night and temper it up with politics
a little--but you've got to take things in this world just as they're
handed to you. I stood up and made a speech and I thanked 'em--and
it was a pretty good speech."

He paused and narrowed his eyes and dwelt fondly for a moment on the
memory of the triumph.

"But when you're popular in a town and propose to spend your last
days in that town and want to stay popular and happy and contented
there's nothin' like clinchin' the thing. So here's what I done there
and then, Louada Murilla: I praised up the voters of Smyrna as bein'
the best people on earth and then I told 'em that, havin' an interest
in the old town and wantin' to see her sail on full and by and all
muslin drawin' and no barnacles of debt on the bottom, I'd donate
out of my pocket enough to pay up all them prizes and purses
contracted for in the celebration--and then I resigned again as first
selectman. And I made 'em understand that I meant it, too!"

"Did they let you resign?" she gasped.

"Sure--after a tussle! But you see I'd made myself so popular by that
time that they'd do anything I told 'em to do, even to lettin' me
resign! And there's goin' to be a serenade to me to-night, Hiram
Look's fife and drum corps and the Smyrna Ancients leadin' the parade.
Last thing I done down-town was order the treat."

He nested his head in his interlocked fingers and leaned back.

"Louada Murilla, you and me is goin' to take solid comfort from now
on--and there's nothin' like bein' popular in the place where you
live." He glanced sideways at the little blank-book.

"We've been kind of neglectin' that, hain't we, wife? But we're goin'
to have a good, long, cozy, chatty time together