he best farm this side of the ledge, but they're dreadful lazy and
shiftless, them young folks. Old Mis' Hate-evil Beckett was tellin' me
the other day--she that was Samanthy Barnes, you know--that one of the
boys got fighting, the other side of the mountain, and come home with
his nose broke and a piece o' one ear bit off. I forget which ear it
was. Their mother is a real clever, willin' woman, and she takes it to
heart, but it's no use for her to say anything. Mis' Hate-evil Beckett,
says she, 'It does make my man feel dreadful to see his brother's folks
carry on so.' 'But there,' says I, 'Mis' Beckett, it's just such things
as we read of; Scriptur' is fulfilled: In the larter days there shall be
disobedient children.'"

This application of the text was too much for us, but Mrs. Bonny looked
serious, and we did not like to laugh. Two or three of the exiled fowls
had crept slyly in, dodging underneath our chairs, and had perched
themselves behind the stove. They were long-legged, half-grown
creatures, and just at this minute one rash young rooster made a manful
attempt to crow. "Do tell!" said his mistress, who rose in great wrath,
"you needn't be so forth-putting, as I knows on!" After this we were
urged to stay and have some supper. Mrs. Bonny assured us she could pick
a likely young hen in no time, fry her with a bit of pork, and get us up
"a good meat tea"; but we had to disappoint her, as we had some distance
to walk to the house where we had left our horses, and a long drive
home.

Kate asked if she would be kind enough to lend us a tumbler (for ours
was in the basket, which was given into Tommy's charge). We were
thirsty, and would like to go back to the spring and get some water.

"Yes, dear," said Mrs. Bonny, "I've got a glass, if it's so's I can find
it." And she pulled a chair under the little cupboard over the
fireplace, mounted it, and opened the door. Several things fell out at
her, and after taking a careful survey she went in, head and shoulders,
until I thought that she would disappear altogether; but soon she came
back, and reaching in took out one treasure after another, putting them
on the mantel-piece or dropping them on the floor. There were some
bunches of dried herbs, a tin horn, a lump of tallow in a broken plate,
a newspaper, and an old boot, with a number of turkey-wings tied
together, several bottles, and a steel trap, and finally, such a
tumbler! which she produced with triumph, before st