pony sat Ebenezer Devotion. As soon as he heard the
eastern portion of the town assigned to him, he gave the signal to his
horse, and in five minutes was out of sight over the high hill. In ten
minutes he was near the famous Frog pond. As he was passing it by, a
voice from the marsh along its bank cried out:

"Where now, so fast, this fine morning, Mr. Devotion?"

"The same to you, Goodwife Elderkin. I know your voice, though I can't
see your face."

Presently a hand parted the thicket and a woman's face appeared.

"I'm getting flag-root. It gives a twang to root beer that nothing
else will, and the flag hereabout is the twangiest I know of. Stop at
the house as you go along and get some beer, won't you? Mary Ann's to
home."

"Thank you," said Mr. Devotion, with a stiff bow. "It's a little early
for beer this morning. I'll stop as I come this way again. How are
your sheep and lambs this year?"

"First rate. Never better."

"Have you any to part with?"

"Who wants to buy?" and Goodwife Elderkin came out from the thicket to
the road-side, eager for gain.

"We don't sell sheep in Windham this year," said Mr. Devotion.

"Why, what's the matter with the man?" thought Mrs. Elderkin, for
Ebenezer Devotion liked to drive a good bargain as well as any one of
his neighbors. Before she had time to give expression to her surprise,
he said with a sharp inclination of his head toward the sun, "We've
neighbors over yonder, good and true, who wouldn't sell sheep if we
were shut in by ships of war, and hungry, too."

"What! any news from Boston town?"

"It's twenty-four days, to-day, since the port was shut up."

Goodwife Elderkin laughed. Ebenezer Devotion looked grim enough to
smother every bit of laughter in New England.

"'Pears as if king and Parliament really believed that tea was cast
away by the men of Boston, now don't it? 'stead of every man, woman
and child in the country havin' a hand in it," said Mrs. Elderkin.

"About the sheep!" replied Mr. Devotion, jerking up his horse's head
from the sweet, pure grass, greening all the road-side.

"Let your pony feed while he can," she replied. "What about the
sheep?"

"How many will you give?"

"How many are you going to give yourself?"

"Twice as many as you will."

"Do you mean it?"

"I do."

"Then I'll give every sheep I own."

"And how many is that?"

"A couple of dozen or so."

"Better keep some of them for another time."

Mrs. Elderkin laughe