er his favorite scheme of a
pure-blooded herd, and the red and white clouded Ayrshires showed
beautifully on his green hillside pastures, and were good stock besides.
But Aaron Stow insisted so pertinaciously that he should buy this red
cow, that the Squire shoved his hat back and put both his hands in his
pockets, a symptom of determination with him, and began to question him.
They fenced awhile, in true Yankee fashion, till at last Grandfather
became exasperated.

"Look here, Aaron Stow!" said he, "what in thunder do you pester me so
about that cow for? She's a good enough beast, I see, for a native; but
those Ayrshires are better cows and better blood, and you know it. What
are you navigating round me for, so glib?"

"Well, now, Squire," returned Aaron, whittling at the gate with sudden
vehemence, "fact is, I've set my mind on your buyin' that critter, an'
you jes' set down on that 'ere milkin'-stool an' I'll tell ye the rights
on 't, though I feel kinder meechin' myself, to be so soft about it as I
be."

"Leave off shaving my new gate, then, and don't think I'm going to trust
a hundred and eighty-five solid flesh to a three-legged stool. I'm too
old for that. I'll sit on the step here. Now go ahead, man."

So Grandfather sat down on the step, and Aaron turned his back against
the gate and kicked one boot on the other. He was not used to narration.

"Well, you know we had a dreadful spell o' weather a month ago, Squire.
There ha'n't never been such a March in my day as this last; an' 't was
worse up our way 'n' 't was here, an' down to Hartland Holler was the
beat of all. Why, it snowed an' it blowed an' it friz till all Natur'
couldn't stan' it no more! Well, about them days I was down to Hartland
Centre a-buyin' some fat cattle for Hanerford market, an' I met Orrin
Nye drivin' his team pretty spry, for he see it was comin' on to snow;
but when he catched sight o' me, he stopped the horses an' hollered out
to me, so I stepped along an' asked what he wanted; an' he said there
was a woman down to the Holler that had a cow to sell, an' he knowed I
was apt to buy cow-critters along in the spring, so he'd spoke about it,
for she was kinder in a hurry to sell, for she was goin' to move. So I
said I'd see to 't, an' he driv along. I thought likely I should git it
cheap, ef she was in a hurry to sell, an' I concluded I'd go along next
day; 't wa'n't more 'n' seven mile from the Centre, down by a piece o'
piny woods, an