ver, he had still another customer, and could
have had three or four more, if he had had ice enough. He felt strongly
inclined that fall to build a larger icehouse; and although he was a
little afraid of bringing ridicule upon himself in case no fish should
be brought to him the next summer, he decided to do so, on the assurance
of three or four men that they meant to come to him. Nobody else had
such a chance,--a pond right by the shore.

One evening there was a knock at the door of Eliphalet Wood, the owner
of the burned barn. Eliphalet went to the door, but turned pale at
seeing Eph there.

"Oh, come in, come in!" he panted. "Glad to see you. Walk in. Have a
chair. Take a seat. Sit down."

But he thought his hour had come: he was alone in the house, and there
was no neighbor within call.

Eph took out a roll of bills, counted out eighty dollars, laid the money
on the table, and said quietly,--

"Give me a receipt on account."

When it was written he walked out, leaving Eliphalet stupefied.

*****

Joshua Carr was at work, one June afternoon, by the roadside, in front
of his low cottage, by an enormous pile of poles, which he was shaving
down for barrel-hoops, when Eph appeared.

"Hard at it, Joshua!" he said.

"Yes, yes!" said Joshua, looking up through his steel-bowed spectacles.
"Hev to work hard to make a livin'--though I don't know's I ought to
call it hard, neither; and yet it is ruther hard, too; but then, on t'
other hand, 't ain't so hard as a good many other things--though there
is a good many jobs that's easier. That's so! that 's so!

'Must we be kerried to the skies
On feathery beds of ease?'

Though I don't know's I ought to quote a hymn on such a matter; but
then--I don' know's there's any partic'lar harm in't, neither."

Eph sat down on a pile of shavings and chewed a sliver; and the old man
kept on at his work.

"Hoop-poles goin' up and hoops goin' down," he continued. "Cur'us,
ain't it? But then, I don' know as 'tis; woods all bein' cut off--poles
gittin' scurcer--hoops bein' shoved in from Down East. That don't seem
just right, now, does it? But then, other folks must make a livin', too.
Still, I should think they might take up suthin' else; and yet, they
might say that about me. Understand, I don't mean to say that they
actually do say so; I don't want to run down any man unless I know--"

"I can't stand this," said Eph to himself; "I don't wonder that they
always used