"Only a little one fur five hundred dollars," Wrinkle said, with evident
enjoyment. "They had a lots o' trouble pickin' out the design amongst
all the doves, broke-off pillars, seraphims, an' angels, but they
finally got what they wanted. Not a tear was shed, if you'd stood off a
few feet, out o' earshot, you couldn't 'a' told but what they was
pickin' out a pattern fer a weddin'-dress or buyin' tickets fer a
side-show. After they got under headway I couldn't say anything--they
had sech a solemn way about it, and then I couldn't help but be fair and
think if I'd been in Dick's place they would have gone through exactly
the same antics, an' been jest as liberal in showing due respect. Hettie
says it is all to come out of her own money that she had when she
married you. She was particular to mention the fact, and I think that
showed a sensible streak, for a fool would know you oughtn't to be
expected to stand sech expense, and so long after you took her, and that
being a thing that would naturally belong to her past career, too. After
the agent had gone off I set thar, an' Hettie told me what she was goin'
to do. She don't intend to spare expense to do the thing plumb right.
She's goin' to send away off for a high-priced reverential orator to
give the discourse, an' intends to have evergreens hung all over the
church. I don't know whether she designs to have all the business houses
in Chester closed that day, but she'd naturally expect you and Jim to
shet up an' take it in."

"So this is the joke you said that man had got off on me, is it?" Henley
snapped out, irritably.

"Well, I reckon it mought not appear exactly in the same light to you,
Alf," answered Wrinkle, "as it would to somebody who'd be more inclined
to laugh over a thing of the sort. You was gettin' off what you called
a good one on old Tight-fist just now by puttin' this chap on his track,
and I reckon you'd have no call to git mad if Welborne made it tit for
tat an' fired back at you. You wouldn't be justified in killin' 'im, you
know, if he was to take a notion to send you a big bouquet o' flowers
out o' his gyarden all tied up in black ribbon with a cyard sayin' he's
sorry to hear of the sad loss in yore family, an'--"

"Ah, you make me sick, with your eternal chatter!" Henley burst out,
angrily. "I don't care what them two silly women do. I'll not be here to
witness such tomfoolery. I'm going to Texas, to be away several months."

"So I've heard,"