d with all
his strength, but the tail did not yield. Instead, Irontail kicked
vigorously. Eliph' Hewlitt, knowing his horse as well as he knew human
nature, climbed out of the buggy, and taking the rein close by the bit
led Irontail to the side of the road. Then he took from beneath the
buggy seat a bulky, oil-cloth-wrapped parcel and seated himself near the
horse's head. There was no safety for a timid driver when Irontail had
thus assumed command of the rein. There was no way to get a rein from
beneath that tail but to ignore it. In an hour or so Irontail would
grow forgetful, carelessly begin flapping flies, and release the rein
himself.

Eliph' Hewlitt unwrapped the oilcloth from the object in enfolded. It
was a book. It was Jarby's 'Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of
Literature, Science, Art, Comprising Useful Information on One Thousand
and One Subjects, Including A History of the World, the Lives of all
Famous Men, Quotations From the World's Great Authors, One Thousand and
One Recipes, Et Cetera'. One Volume, five dollars bound in cloth; seven
fifty in morocco. Eliph' Hewlitt passed his hand affectionately over the
gilt-stamped cover, and then opened it at random and read.

For years he had been reading Jarby's Encyclopedia, and among its ten
thousand and one subjects he always found something new. It opened now
at "Courtship-How to Make Love--How to Win the Affections--How to Hold
Them When Won," and although he had read the pages often before, he
found in all parts of the book, whenever he read it, a new meaning.
It occurred to him that even a book agent might have reason to use the
helpful words set for in clear type in the chapter on "Courtship--How to
Make Love," and he realized that sometime he must reach the age when he
would need a home of his own. For years he had thought of woman only as
a possible customer for Jarby's Encyclopedia. Every woman, not already
married, he now saw, might be a possible Mrs. Eliph' Hewlitt.

Suddenly he raised his head. On the breeze there was borne to him the
sound of voices--many voices. He closed the book with a bang. His small
body became tense; his eyes glittered. He scented prey. He wrapped the
book in its oilcloth, laid it upon the buggy seat, and taking Irontail
by the bridle, started in the direction of the voices.

Half a mile down the road he came upon a scene of merriment. In a
cleared grove men, women and children were gathered; it was a church
picn