she can post
you up on Uncle Capen, if anybody can."

So they crossed the door-yard into the house.

Mrs. Hunter was sewing; a neighbor, come to tea, was crocheting wristers
for her grandson.

They were both talking at once as the Doctor opened the sitting-room
door.

"Since neither of you appears to be listening," he said, as they started
up, "I shall not apologize for interrupting. Mr. Holt is collecting
facts about Uncle Capen for his funeral sermon, and I thought that my
good wife could help him out, if anybody could. So I will leave him."

And the Doctor, nodding, went into the hall for his coat and
driving-gloves, and, going out, disappeared about the corner of the
house.

"You will really oblige me very much, Mrs. Hunter," said the minister,
"--or Mrs. French,--if you can give me any particulars about old Mr.
Capen's life. His family seem to be rather sensitive, and they depend
on a long, old-fashioned funeral sermon; and here I am utterly bare of
facts."

"Why, yes," said Mrs. Hunter; "of course, now--"

"Why, yes; everybody knows all about him," said Mrs. French.

And then they laid their work down and relapsed into meditation.

"Oh!" said Mrs. Hunter, in a moment. "No, though--"

"Why, you know," said Mrs. French,--"no--I guess, on the whole--"

"You remember," said the Doctor's wife to Mrs. French, with a faint
smile, "the time he papered my east chamber--don't you--how he made the
pattern come?"

And then they both laughed gently for a moment.

"Well, I have always known him," said Mrs. French. "But really, being
asked so suddenly, it seems to drive everything out of my head."

"Yes," said Mrs. Hunter, "and it's odd that I can't think of exactly
the thing, just at this min-ute; but if I do, I will run over to the
parsonage this evening."

"Yes, so will I," said Mrs. French; "I know that I shall think of oceans
of things just as soon as you are gone."

"Won't you stay to tea?" said Mrs. Hunter, as Holt rose to go. "The
Doctor has gone; but we never count on him."

"No, I thank you," said Mr. Holt. "If I am to invent a biography, I may
as well be at it."

Mrs. Hunter went with him to the door.

"I must just tell you," she said, "one of Uncle Capen's sayings. It was
long ago, at the time I was married and first came here. I had a young
men's Bible-class in Sunday-school, and Uncle Capen came into it. He
always wore a cap, and sat at meetings with the boys. So, one Sunday,
we had in th