when I am gone! But I won't die--no, I just won't! But
I 'll make a will and I 'll give everything to the children, and you
sha' n't have a thing when I do die--not a thing, not even a life
estate--so there!"

Mr. Black and I were trying to soothe the dear creature, when there
came a knock at the front door. Alice popped up and made her escape
into the dining-room. The front door opened and the ruddy, smiling
face of neighbor Denslow appeared.

"Pardon my informality," said Mr. Denslow, cheerily; "can I come in?"

"By all means," I cried. "You are in good season to meet my old and
valued friend, Mr. Black."

Mr. Denslow greeted Mr. Black effusively. All my neighbors had heard
me speak of my generous patron, and they all took a really noble
neighborly pride in promoting my interests with him. Mr. Denslow began
at once to dilate in eloquent terms upon the bargain Alice and I had
secured in the old Schmittheimer place.

"And, by the way," said Mr. Denslow, turning to me, "the mention of
your bargain reminds me of the object of my call. August
Schmittheimer, a son of the widow, came to my office to-day to tell me
that he is prepared to let you have the thirty-three feet in the rear
of your lot at a merely nominal price--say two hundred dollars."

I had cast envious eyes upon this particular strip of ground several
times. Alice had remarked that it would afford an ideal spot upon
which to hang out the washing on Monday mornings; at other times it
would serve as a convenient playground for Josephine and little
Erasmus. It really seemed like a special Providence that what we had
been wishing for should unexpectedly be thrust within our very grasp.

"I think that we should have that extra strip by all means," said I;
and then I added, by way of demonstrating the wisdom of my opinion to
Mr. Black: "We shall thus be enabled to enlarge our onion bed to
pretentious proportions."

This argument must have convinced Mr. Black, for he remarked at once
that he recognized the wisdom of acquiring the extra piece of land at
the bargain price suggested.

"If it pleases you, then," said Mr. Denslow, "I will attend the first
thing in the morning to having the investigation into the title begun,
and I suppose that within the next three days the deal can be
consummated and the property duly transferred to Mrs. Baker."

Too often I do not think of the bright and felicitous thing to say or
do until it is too late. On this