came up. The grin was
gone, and the farmer stood with his wonted solemnity of face and
manner. "Where's the rest o' your folks?"

"The rest of _my_ folks are a good way off, Mr. Simlins," said the
person addressed, giving the questioner his hand; while his shadow
exchanged civilities with the shadow of Mr. Simlins. "When did you come
back? I am glad to see you?"

"I'm glad to see myself," said Mr. Simlins. "There's no State like
Connecticut, sir. Where's _your_ bringin' up place?

"No one place has had that honour, Mr. Simlins,--I have been brought up
from one to another."

"Not Connecticut, eh?"

"Not altogether--I am here just now, as you see,--getting a part of my
education. I am one of the Say and Seal people in a way. Won't you come
in, Mr. Simlins?"

"Well--I'd as lief see Faith and Mrs. Derrick as a'most any other two
folks in Pattaquasset,--but they're a long ways off, you say?"

"No further than the parlour, I believe."

Mr. Simlins was willing to go as far as the parlour, and so the party
on the porch adjourned thither. A bright lamp lit the room, by which
Faith was mending stockings; while Mrs. Derrick sat in an easy chair a
little further off, rocking and knitting.

"Well," said Mr. Simlins, "when the sun goes down _I_ think it is time
to knock off work; but womenkind don't seem to think so."

"I guess when the sun goes down your work's knocked off, Mr. Simlins,"
said Mrs. Derrick.

"Fact, Mrs. Derrick, when I'm to home; but when a man's visiting he has
to work night _and_ day. Moonlight's moonlight now. I declare, in
Jersey I thought it was broad sunshine.--You haven't been down to my
place yet, Mr. Linden?"

"No sir, not within the gate."

"The Simlins' have held that place, sir, off and on, for nigh three
hundred years. We're a good many Simlins'--and we're a good set, I'll
say it! a pretty good set. Not thin-skinned, you know,--we can take a
scratch without bein' killed--but we never would stand bein' trampled
on. We're soft-hearted too; plenty o' what I may call _tendrils_, ready
to take hold of anything; and when we take hold we _do_ take hold. We
cover a good deal of ground in the country, here and elsewhere--in the
various branches. My mother was a Mush, and my grandmother was a
Citron; a good families those, sir; can't do better than take a wife
from one of them, Mr. Linden, if you are so disposed;--you haven't got
one already, have you?"

"_What_, sir?" said Mr. Linden, with mo