tasting of cream, and hardly needing butter? And green-apple

pies! Could such candied lower crusts be found elsewhere,or more

delectable filling? Or such rich, nutty doughnuts?--doughnuts

that had spurned the hot fat which is the ruin of so many, and

risen from its waves like golden-brown Venuses.

"By the great seleckmen!" ejaculated Jed Towle, as he swallowed

his fourth, "I'd like to hev a wife, two daughters, and four

sisters like them Wileys, and jest set still on the river-bank

an' hev 'em cook victuals for me. I'd hev nothin' to wish for

then but a mouth as big as the Saco's."

"And I wish this custard pie was the size o' Bonnie Eagle Pond,"

said Ike Billings. "I'd like to fall into the middle of it and

eat my way out!"

"Look at that bunch o' Chiny asters tied on t' the bail o' that

biscuit-pail!" said Ivory Dunn. "That's the girl's doin's, you

bet women-folks don't seem to make no bo'quets after they git

married. Let's divide 'em up an' wear 'em drivin' this

afternoon; mebbe they'll ketch the eye so't our rags won't show

so bad. Land! it's lucky my hundred days is about up! If I

don't git home soon, I shall be arrested for goin' without

clo'es. I set up'bout all night puttin' these blue patches in my

pants an' tryin' to piece together a couple of old red-flannel

shirts to make one whole one. That's the worst o' drivin' in

these places where the pretty girls make a habit of comin' down

to the bridge to see the fun. You hev to keep rigged up jest so

stylish; you can't git no chance at the rum bottle, an' you even

hev to go a leetle mite light on swearin'."

"BLASPHEMIOUS SWEARIN'"

"Steve Waterman's an awful nice feller," exclaimed Ivory Dunn just

then. Stephen had been looking intently across the river,

watching the Shapleys' side door, from which Rose might issue at

any moment; and at this point in the discussion he had lounged

away from the group, and, moving toward the bridge, began to

throw pebbles idly into the water.

"He's an awful smart driver for one that don't foiler drivin' the

year round," continued Ivory; "and he's the awfullest

clean-spoken, soft-spoken feller I ever see."

"There's be'n two black sheep in his family a'ready, an' Steve

kind o' feels as if he'd ought to be extry white," remarked Jed

Towle. "You fellers that belonged to the old drive remember

Pretty Quick Waterman well enough? Steve's mother brought him

up."

Yes; most of them remembered the Waterman twins, Stephen's

cousins, now both dead,--Slow Waterman, so moderate in his

steps and actions that you had to fix a landmark somewhere near

him to see if he moved; and Pretty Quick, who shone by comparison

with his twin.

"I'd kind o' forgot that Pretty Quick Waterman was cousin to

Steve," said the under boss; "he never worked with me much, but

he wa'n't cut off the same piece o' goods as the other Watermans.