to take care of myself as yet, thanks to goodness! And I am
not afraid my brothers will see me suffer in case of sickness,"
returned Miss Doolittle, her cheeks flaming up like a sumach in October.

"But hadn't you better take a little time to think it over? Ma' be it
come sudden to you," pleaded Captain Ben.

"No, I thank you. Some things don't need thinking over," answered Miss
Doolittle, plucking at the barberries more diligently than ever.

"I wish Lyddy was here. She would convince you you were standing in your
own light," returned Lyddy's widower in a perplexed tone.

"I don't need one to come from the dead to show me my own mind,"
retorted Miss Doolittle, firmly.

"Well, like enough you are right," said Captain Ben, mildly, putting a
few stems of barberries in her pail; "ma' be it wouldn't be best. I
don't want to be rash."

And with that he moved off, on the whole congratulating himself he had
not decided to marry Miss Doolittle.

"I thought after she commenced her miserable gift of the gab, that Lyddy
used to be free to admit she had a fiery tongue, for all they were such
friends. And I'm all for peace myself. I guess, on the whole, ma' be she
ain't the one for me, perhaps, and it is as well to look further.
_Why_! what in _the_ world! Well, there! what have I been thinking of?
There is Mrs. Davids, as neat as a new cent, and the master hand to
save. She is always taking on; and she will be glad enough to have
somebody to look out for her,--why, sure enough! And there I was right
at her house this very day, and never once thought of her! What an old
dunce!"

But, fortunately, this not being a sin of commission, it could easily be
rectified; and directly Captain Ben had turned about and was trotting
again toward the red house on the beach.

"Pound for pound of the best white sugar," he heard Miss Tame say as he
neared the door.

"White, sugar!" repeated Mrs. Davids, her usual sigh drawn out into a
little groan. "_White_ sugar for _cram_ berries! Who ever heard of such
a thing? I've always considered I did well when I had plenty of brown."

"Poor creeter!" thought Captain Ben. "How she will enjoy getting into my
pantry. Lyddy never complained that she didn't have enough of every
thing to do _with_"

And in the full ardor of his intended benevolence, he went right in and
opened the subject at once. But, to his astonishment, Mrs. Davids
refused him. She sighed, but she refused him.

"I've seen troub