with the spruce bush, as ordered by the Catcher and Assistant Catcher.

"I shall name Gram, if she has no objection, _Chief Fireman_, and Doad
her assistant. It is to be their business to put the wood and dry stuff
which we have gathered under the pipe and keep a good fire going.

"Are you all satisfied with your parts?" he then asked.

We all expressed ourselves delighted, except Halse, who desired to be
Catcher, instead of Assistant Washer. Thereupon I offered to resign in
his favor; but for reasons which they did not explain fully, the Old
Squire and Addison opposed my resignation. Halse grumbled a little, but
at length acquiesced.

"Now then," continued Addison, "every one to his or her station, and the
business of the day will open."

Still laughing a good deal, we took our places.

Elevating his voice, Addison then called out, "Catcher, do your duty!"

The Sheep-Hole-Tender hauled aside the bush and Catcher, followed by
Assistant Catcher, entered the yard.

"Take a little one, to begin with," whispered Ellen, who apparently
distrusted my competence for the office. That nettled me and, instead, I
made a plunge for a big wether and fastened both hands into his wool.
The animal gave a tremendous jump and then went round about that yard,
into corners and over the backs of the other sheep, at a rate of speed
that was simply distracting! But I held on. First, I was on my back,
with the rest of the flock leaping overhead. The Assistant Catcher
couldn't overtake us. At last, she turned and ran the other way and
headed us into a corner, and there the wether fell down and I fell on
top of him; and when the flock got done running by, I looked up and saw
that the Chief Washer, Rinser, Chief Fireman and their Assistants had
all left their posts and were peering over the fence into the yard, with
faces wearing every appearance of excessive mirth.

But Addison cried out, "Hurrah for the Catcher!" and that relieved my
embarrassment considerably.

My Assistant, however, looked coldly at me.

"What in the world possessed you to grab that biggest sheep first?" she
commented, as we dragged the now nearly breathless beast out at the
sheep-hole. "And you mustn't run at them in such a savage way. No wonder
the poor thing was scared! Go toward them more calm and gentle-like."

It appeared to me highly unbecoming that my Assistant should take it
upon herself to lecture her superior after that fashion; and I promptly
informed