, _that's_ man-made!"

"It was only the Greeks who were without 'em," put in Ruth, smiling.
"The perfectly good, expressive English word 'man-hater' is in the
dictionary without a doubt."

"But do go on about Neighbor," Agnes urged. "Does he quarrel with you
people all the time?"

"Not with Luke," Cecile explained. "He likes Luke. He is really very
fond of him, although it seems positively to hurt him to show love for
anybody.

"But a long time ago Mr. Northrup began to show an interest in Luke. He
would come to the fence between his and Aunt Lorena's places, and talk
with Luke by the hour. But if either I or aunty came near he'd turn
right around and walk away.

"He never allows a woman inside his door and hasn't, they say, for
twenty years. He has a Japanese servant--the only one that was ever seen
in Grantham; and they get along without a woman."

"I'd like tae see intae that hoos," snapped Mrs. MacCall, shaking her
head and dropping into her broad Scotch, as she often did when excited.
"What could twa' buddies of men do alone at housekeeping!"

"Oh, the Jap is trained to it," Cecile said. "Luke says everything is
spick and span there. And Mr. Northrup himself, although he dresses
queerly in old-fashioned clothes, has always clean linen and is well
brushed.

"But he does not often appear outside of his own yard. He really hates
to meet women. His front gate is locked. Luke climbs the fence when he
goes to see Neighbor; but people with skirts aren't supposed to be able
to climb fences; so Mr. Northrup is pretty safe. Even the minister's
wife doesn't get in."

"But why do you call him Neighbor?" asked Ruth again.

"That's what he told Luke to call him in the first place. We were not
very old when Luke's strange friendship with Mr. Northrup began. After
they had become quite chummy Luke, who was a little fellow, asked the
old gentleman if he couldn't call him Uncle Henry. You see, Luke liked
him so much that he wanted to say something warmer than Mister.

"But that would never do. Mr. Northrup seemed to think that might
connect him in people's minds with Aunt Lorena. So he told Luke finally
to call him Neighbor.

"Of course, the old gentleman is really a _dear_--only he doesn't know
it," continued Cecile. "He thinks he hates women, and the idea of
marriage is as distasteful to him as a red rag is to a bull.

"He is going to leave Luke all his money he says. At any rate, he has
promised to do something f