d have a bite," was Aunt 'Mira's hospitable addition.

"No, no! I had a snack down to the tavern, Marthy's gone to see her
folks terday and I didn't 'spect no supper to hum. I'm what ye call a
grass-widderer. Haw! haw! haw!" explained the local expressman.

Walky's voice seemed louder than usual, his face was more beaming, and
he was more prone to laugh at his own jokes. Janice and Marty
exchanged glances as the expressman came in and took a chair that
creaked under his weight. The girl, remembering what her cousin had
said about the visitor, wondered if it were possible that Walky had
been drinking and now showed the effects of it.

It was true, as Janice had once said--the expressman should have been
named "Talkworthy" rather than "Walkworthy" Dexter. To-night he seemed
much more talkative than usual.

"What were all you younkers out o' school so early for, Marty?" he
asked. "Ain't been an eperdemic o' smallpox broke out, has there?"

"Teachers' meeting," said Marty. "The Superintendent of Schools came
over and they say we're going to have fortnightly lectures on Friday
afternoons--mebbe illustrated ones. Crackey! it don't matter what they
have," declared this careless boy, "as long as 'tain't lessons."

"Lectures?" repeated Walky. "Do tell! What sort of lectures?"

"I heard Mr. Haley say the first one would proberbly be illustrated by
a collection of rare coins some rich feller's lent the State School
Board. He says the coins are worth thousands of dollars."

"Lectures on coins?" cackled Walky. "I could give ye a lecture on
ev'ry dollar me and Josephus ever airned! Haw! haw! haw!"

Walky rolled in his chair in delight at his own wit. Uncle Jason was
watching him with some curiosity as he filled and lit his pipe.

"Walky," he drawled, "what was the very hardest dollar you ever airned?
It strikes me that you allus have picked the softest jobs, arter all."

"Me? Soft jobs?" demanded Walkworthy, with some indignation. "Ye
oughter try liftin' some o' them drummers' sample-cases that I hatter
wrastle with. Wal!" Then his face began to broaden and his eyes to
twinkle. "Arter all, it was a soft job that I airned my hardest dollar
by, for a fac'."

"Let's have it, Walky," urged Marty. "Get it out of your system.
You'll feel better for it."

"Why, ter tell the truth," grinned Walky, "it was a soft job, for I
carried five pounds of feathers in a bolster twelve miles to old Miz'
Kittridge one W