hing to
say to Mrs. Carson."

"No, to be sure," said he. "But I expect I should like her. By the
way, do you know how you used to talk to me about coming and living
somewhere near you? How would you like me to take one of your rooms
now? I might cheer you up."

"No," said I, firmly. "That cannot be done. As things are now, I have
as much as I can do to get along here by myself."

Mrs. Carson did not hear from her son for nearly a week, and then he
wrote that he found it almost impossible to give her any advice. He
thought it was a very queer state of affairs. He had never heard of
anything like it. But he would try and arrange his business so that he
could come home in a week or two and look into matters.

As I was thus compelled to force myself upon the close neighborhood of
Mrs. Carson and her daughter, I endeavored to make things as pleasant
as possible. I brought some of my men down out of the vineyard, and
set them to repairing fences, putting the garden in order, and doing
all that I could to remedy the doleful condition of things which I had
unwillingly brought into the back yard of this quiet family. I rigged
up a pump on my back porch by which the water of the well could be
conveniently obtained, and in every way endeavored to repair damages.

But Mrs. Carson never ceased to talk about the unparalleled disaster
which had come upon her, and she must have had a great deal of
correspondence with her son George, because she gave me frequent
messages from him. He could not come on to look into the state of
affairs, but he seemed to be giving it a great deal of thought and
attention.

Spring weather had come again, and it was very pleasant to help the
Carson ladies get their flower-garden in order--at least, as much as
was left of it, for my house was resting upon some of the most
important beds. As I was obliged to give up all present idea of doing
anything in the way of getting my residence out of a place where it had
no business to be, because Mrs. Carson would not consent to any plan
which had been suggested, I felt that I was offering some little
compensation in beautifying what seemed to be, at that time, my own
grounds.

My labors in regard to vines, bushes, and all that sort of thing were
generally carried on under direction of Mrs. Carson or her daughter,
and as the elderly lady was a very busy housewife, the horticultural
work was generally left to Miss Kitty and me.

I liked Miss K