s paralyzed, but he lit up one of the cigars and found
'twas better than Abbie's brand. He asked Hannah what she thought the
church folks would say, but she said she didn't care what they said;
her travels had broadened her mind and she couldn't cramp herself to the
ideas of a little narrow place like East Wellmouth.

"Dinner that day was a bigger meal than breakfast, and two of the cigars
went fine after it. Kenelm hemmed and hawed and fin'lly said that he
wouldn't be home to supper; said he'd got to go downtown and would get a
bite at the Trav'lers' Rest or somewheres. It surprised him to find that
Hannah didn't raise objections, but she didn't, not a one. Just smiled
and said, 'All right,' and told him to have a good time. And Abbie's
supper didn't seem so good to him that night, and her cigars--bein' five
centers--wa'n't in it with that Washington box.

"Hannah didn't have dinner the next day until two o'clock, but 'twas
worth waitin' for. Turkey was twenty-three cents a pound, but she had
one, and plum puddin', too. She kept pressin' Kenelm to have a little
more, so 'twas after three when they got up from the table.

"'Twas a rainy, drizzly afternoon and the stove felt mighty homey and
cozy. So did the big rocker that Hannah transplanted from the parlor to
the settin'-room. That chair had been a kind of sacred throne afore, and
to set in it had been sort of sacrilegious, but there 'twas, and Kenelm
didn't object. And those President cigars certainly filled the bill.

"About half-past five Kenelm got up and looked out of the window. The
rain come spattin' against the pane and the wind whined and sounded
mean. Kenelm went back to the chair again. Then he got up and took
another observation. At last he goes back to the chair, stretches
himself out, puts his feet against the stove, pulls at the cigar, and
says he:

"'I was cal'latin' to go downtown on a bus'ness trip, same's I did last
night. But I guess,' he says--'I guess I won't. It's too comfort'ble
here,' says he.

"And I cal'late," said Captain Obed, in conclusion, "that afore Hannah
turned in that night she gave herself three cheers. She'd gained a
tack on Abbie Larkin that had put Abbie out of the race, for that time,
anyhow."

"But who sent the 'friend' letter?" asked Thankful, whose thoughts had
been diverted from her own troubles by hearing those of Miss Parker.

The captain laughed.

"That's a mystery, even yet," he said. "I'm pretty sure Hannah t