tle boy," said Mrs. Samson Rawdy,
who had come with a timid female friend on a tour of inspection. Mrs.
Rawdy, in virtue of her husband's employment, felt a sort of
proprietorship in the occasion.

"There won't be a mite of trouble about our goin' in to see the
church," she told the friend, who was a humble soul.

But Mrs. Rawdy reckoned without Eddy Carroll. When she told him that
he was telling a lie, he smiled sweetly at her.

"You're telling a lie yourself, missis," said he.

Mrs. Rawdy essayed to push past him, but as he stood directly in the
door, and she was unable, on account of her stout habit of body, to
pass him, and hardly ventured to forcibly remove him, she desisted.
"You are a sassy little boy," said she, "and if your sister is as
sassy as her brother, I pity the man that's goin' to marry her."

In reply Eddy made up an impish face at her as she retreated. Then he
entered the church himself to inspect progress, returning immediately
to take up his position of sentry again. About noon Anderson passed
on his way to the post-office, and nodded.

"You can't come in," the boy called out.

"All right," Anderson responded. But then Eddy made a flying leap
from the church door and caught hold of his arm.

"Say, you can, if you won't tell anybody about it," he whispered, as
if the curious village was within ear-shot.

"I am afraid I cannot stop now, thank you," Anderson replied, smiling.

"You ain't mad, are you?"

Anderson assured him that he was not.

"They didn't tell me to keep folks out," Eddy explained, "but I made
up my mind I didn't want everybody seeing it till it was done. It's
going to be a stunner, I can tell you. There's palms and pots of
flowers, and yards and yards of white and green ribbon tied in bows,
and the pews are all tied round with evergreen boughs, and to-morrow
the smilax is going up. I tell you, it's fine."

"It must be," said Anderson. He strove to move on, but could not
break free from the boy's little, clinging hand. "Just come up the
steps and peek in," pleaded Eddy. So Anderson yielded weakly and let
himself be pulled up the steps to the entrance of the church.

"Ain't it handsome?" asked Eddy, triumphantly.

"Very," replied Anderson.

"Say," said Eddy, "was it as handsome when you were married yourself?"

"I never was married," replied Anderson, laughing.

"You weren't?" said Eddy, staring at him. "Why, I thought you were a
widow man."

"No," said Anderson.