ately begged me to take care of Marjie. I had no time
to quarrel with the little widower.

"He's got the best of you, Judson," Cam declared. "No use to come,
second hand, fur a girl like that when a handsome young feller like Phil
Baronet, who's run things his own way in this town sence he was a little
feller, 's got the inside track. Why, the young folks, agged on by some
older ones, 'ud jist natcherly mob anybody that 'ud git in Phil's way of
whatever he wanted. Take my word, if he wants Marjie he kin have her;
and likewise take it, he does want her."

"An' then," Grandpa spoke with mock persuasion, "Amos, ye know ye've
been married oncet. An' ye're not so young an' ye're a leetle bald. D'ye
just notice Phil's hair, layin' in soft thick waves? Allers curled that
way sence he was a little feller."

Amos Judson went into an explosive combustion.

"I've treated my wife's memory and remains as good as a man ever did.
She's got the biggest stone in the cemet'ry, an' I've put a memorial
window in the church. An' what more could a man do? It's more than any
of you have done." Amos was too wrought up to reason.

"Well, I acknowledge," said Cam, "I've ben a leetle slack about gittin'
a grave-stun up fur Dollie, seein' she's still livin', but I have
threatened her time an' agin to put a winder to her memory in the church
an' git her in shape to legalize it if she don't learn how to git me up
a good meal. Darned poor cook my wife is."

"An' as for this boy," Judson broke in, not noticing Cam's joke, "as to
his looks," he stroked his slick light brown hair, "a little baldness
gives dignity, makes a man look like a man. Who'd want to have hair like
a girl's? But Mrs. Whately's too wise not to do well by her daughter.
She knows the value of a dollar, and a man makin' it himself."

"Well, why not set your cap fur the widder? You'd make a good father to
her child, an' Phil would jest na'chelly be proud of you for a
daddy-in-law." This from the stage driver, Dever, who had caught the
spirit of the game in hand. "Anyhow you'd orter seen them two young
folks meet when he first got back home, out there where the crowd of 'em
helt up the stage. Well, sir, she was the last to say 'howdy do.'
Everybody was lookin' the other way then, 'cept me, and I didn't have
sense enough. Well, sir, he jist took her hand like somethin' he'd been
reachin' fur about two year, an' they looked into each other's eyes,
hungry like, an' a sort of joy suc