m the bench and sauntered to the door.

"I washed them," he said. "I judged that you would have to if I didn't,
and it seemed the least I could do, everything considered."

"Sho! You washed the dishes, hey? Where'd you put 'em?"

"In the closet there. That's where they belong, isn't it?"

Seth went to the closet, took a plate from the pile and inspected it.

"Um!" he grunted, turning the plate over, "that ain't such a bad job.
Not so all-fired bad, for a green hand. What did you wash 'em with?"

"A cloth I found hanging by the sink."

"I see. Yes, yes. And you wiped 'em on--what?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't see any towels in sight, except
that one on the door; and, for various reasons, I judged that wasn't a
dish towel."

"Good judgment. 'Tisn't. Go on."

"So I hunted around, and in the closet in the parlor, or living room, or
whatever you call it, I found a whole stack of things that looked like
towels; so I used one of those."

"Is this it?" Seth picked up a damp and bedraggled cloth from the table.

"That's it. I should have hung it up somewhere, I suppose. I'll lose my
job if I don't look out."

"Um! Well, I'm much obliged to you, only--"

"Only?"

"Only you washed them dishes with the sink cloth and wiped 'em with a
piller case."

The volunteer dishwasher's mouth opened.

"NO!" he gasped.

"Ya-as."

"A pillow case! Well, by George!"

"Um-hm. I jedge you ain't washed many dishes in your lifetime."

"Not so very many. No."

They looked at each other and burst into a roar of laughter. Brown was
the first to recover.

"Well," he observed, "I guess it's up to me. If you'll kindly put me
next to a genuine cloth, or sponge, or whatever is the proper caper for
dish-washing, I'll undertake to do them over again. And, for heaven's
sake, lock up the pillow cases."

Seth protested, declaring that the dishes need not be rewashed that very
minute, and that when he got a chance he would do them himself. But the
young man was firm, and, at last, the lightkeeper yielded.

"It's real kind of you," he declared, "and bein' as I've consider'ble
to do, I don't know but I'll let you. Here's a couple of dishcloths, and
there's the towels. I'm goin' out to see to the lights, and I'll be back
pretty soon and get supper."

Later in the evening, after supper, the housework done, they sat again
on the bench beside the door, each with a pipe, filled, this time,
with genuine smoking tobacco. Before