ncle Tom's.

I'm glad Turkey Evans did not get hold of my shotgun. Palmer's
done all his "work of art," as he calls it. Tonight he reads the
whole thing over to us and then we got to learn our parts. Jake
is going to be "Christian;" that's what I wanted to be but
"Christian" carries a heavy load on his back and Palmer says I'm
not strong enough. Me and Tom must double a dozen different
characters. Mrs. Palmer tried all the clothes for everybody on
me. One of the suits I do not like; it's just like you had
nothin' on but a shirt; it's for "Faith" to wear. I told Palmer
it would not look right before women and children and he said
the costume was patterned after the original plates. I don't
know what he meant but he'll not put "Faith's" clothes on me,
plates or no plates.

[Illustration: "He'll Not Put Faith's Clothes On Me"]

Is Pap coming over before we start? If he is, you have Lin bake
a peck of doughnuts, put them in the big carpet-sack. I'm glad
you got the gun. I wrote Turner Simpson to send you the pup when
it was old enough to wean. Your affectionate son,

ALFRED GRIFFITH HATFIELD

P. S. Don't forget the doughnuts.

SOMERSET, PA.

DEAR MUZ:

It will be my luck to have Pap come to Mt. Pleasant with the
doughnuts and find us all gone. We left last night. I wrote you
we was going but I didn't know it until Palmer woke me up in the
middle of the night. Reverend Gideon left two days before.
Someone pulled me out of bed. I hollered, "Here, here, hold on!"
Then I knew it was Palmer. I jumped up. He ordered me to dress
quickly.

I dressed and looked for Tom. I asked Palmer where he was. He
said: "I've called him as often as I'm going to." I called Tom
and had to wait so long for him to dress that when I got out
doors there was Jake sitting up in the front seat of the wagon,
and Mrs. Palmer beside him. She looked to me as if she was
cryin'. Jake told us to "get in, she's going to go."

Palmer was locking the doors. I heard something splash down in
the well. His wife asked for the keys. "They're down in the
well; old Lane, the landlord, can look for them." Mrs. Palmer
looked very much worried. They left all their things excepting a
few bedclothes and the sewing machine.

Palmer spread the bedclothes on the panorama in the bottom of
the