ld lady, and I expect he was putty
mad with Eliphalet that night."

"I allers," said Doane, "approved o' his plan o' leadin' out all the
critters, 'fore he touched off the barn. 'Taint everybody 't would hev
taken pains to do that. But all the same, I tell Sarai't I feel kind o'
skittish, nights, to hev to turn in, feelin' 't there's a convict in the
place."

"I hain't got no barn to burn," said Captain Seth; "but if he allots my
henhouse to the flames, I hope he'll lead out the hens, and hitch 'em to
the apple trees, same's he did Eliphalet's critters. Think he ought to
deal ekally by all."

A mild general chuckle greeted this sally, cheered by which the speaker
added:

"Thought some o' takin' out a policy o' insurance on my cockerel."

"Trade's lookin' up, William," said Captain Seth to the storekeeper, as
some one was heard to kick the snow off his boots on the door-step.
"Somebody's found he's got to hev a shoestring 'fore mornin'."

The door opened, and closed behind a strongly made fellow of twenty-six
or seven, of homely features, with black hair, in clothes which he had
outgrown. It was a bitter night, but he had no coat over his flannel
jacket. He walked straight down the store, between the dry-goods
counters, to the snug corner at the rear, where the knot of talkers sat;
nodded, without a smile, to each of them, and then asked the storekeeper
for some simple articles of food, which he wished to buy. It was Eph.

While the purchases were being put up, an awkward silence prevailed,
which the oil-suits hanging on the walls, broadly displaying their arms
and legs, seemed to mock, in dumb show.

Nothing was changed, to Eph's eyes, as he looked about. Even the
handbill of familiar pattern:

"STANDING WOOD FOR SALE.
APPLY TO J. CARTER, ADMIN'R,"

seemed to have always been there.

The village parliament remained spellbound. Mr. Adams tied up the
purchases and mildly inquired:

"Shall I charge this?"

Not that he was anxious to open an account, but that he would probably
have gone to the length of selling Eph a barrel of molasses "on tick"
rather than run any risk of offending so formidable a character.

"No," said Eph; "I will pay for the things."

And having put the packages into a canvas bag, and selected some
fish-hooks and lines from the show-case, where they lay environed by
jackknives, jewsharps, and gum-drops--dear to the eyes of his
childhood--he paid what was due, said "Good-night,