about Pattaquasset liked Mr.
Simlins.

"Just as lieves see him as not," said Mr. Simlins--"if he don't want my
breakfast. Come in, there, you!"--

And Dromy Tuck presented himself.

"'Early bird catches the worm,'" said Mr. Simlins. "Don't want my
breakfast, Dromy, do you?"

"Had mine afore I started," replied Dromy. "But the thing's here. Mr.
Linden says as how we wants your nuts off o' them trees over to
Neanticut--and he says if you don't want 'em, why it'll fit, he says.
And if you do, why you may keep 'em that's all."

"What's Mr. Linden goin' to do with the nuts, s'pos'n he gets 'em?"

"_He_ aint agoin' to get 'em," said Droiny--"it's us;--us and him. You
see we did somethin' to please him, and so now he said as how he'd like
to do somethin' to please us, if he only knowed what it was. And there
wa'n't a boy of the hull on 'em as didn't say he'd rather go after nuts
than any other livin' thing whatsomedever."

"And now I s'pose you're askin' for them particular nuts to please me.
It's a round game we're on," said Mr. Simlins. "How're you goin' to get
to Neanticut? same way Jack went up his bean?--won't pay."

"He didn't tell--" said Dromy. "He don't say everything to oncet,
commonly."

"When 'you goin'?"

"Don' know, sir. Mr. Linden said as how we'd better go afore the nuts
did. And Saturday aint fur off."

"Saturday--well! You tell Mr. Linden, if he'll send Reuben Taylor here
Saturday morning, he can take the big wagon; it'll hold the hull on ye,
and I guess I'll do without the team; and if he wants to go into the
old house and make a fire in case you want something to eat afore you
get home, there's not a soul in it and no wood nother--but you can pick
it up; and I'll give Reuben the key. Now don't you splice the two ends
o' that together by the way."

Great was the stir in a certain stratum of Pattaquasset that day! Many
and startling were the demands for pies, cheese, and gingerbread, to be
answered on the ensuing Saturday. Those good housewives who had no boys
at school or elsewhere, thought it must be 'real good fun' to help them
get ready for such a frolic,--those who _had_ boys--wished they had
none! As to the rest, the disturbance spread a little (as disturbances
are wont) from its proper sphere of action. Two boys even invaded Mrs.
Derrick's peaceful dwelling, and called down Faith from conquering
Peru. These were Reuben Taylor and Joe Deacon; for Joe with a slight
variation of the popul