se. I'll try my best to do my part."

"Then you listen to me," said the old man, speaking like a grown-up
person to a confused child, "and you remember I don't want to hurt your
feelin's, but whatsomever cometh I've got to git this out of me."

"What is it, Uncle Ambrose?" Elizabeth inquired anxiously. "I told you I
was hopeful to do my part."

Before replying the old face set into beautiful lines of dignity and
untarnished faith. "Do you recollect, 'Lizabeth, I told you once that
when I died and crossed over the Jerden I was hopin' to spend the life
eternal with Em'ly. T'ain't nothin' against little Sarah or Peachy, but
you see I married Sarah 'fore I'd met up with Em'ly, and then Peachy
she'd kind er staked out an original claim. It won't matter nothin' to
Em'ly, but ef the truth be known I ain't no ways easy in my mind 'bout
that Bible text I was a-repeatin' over to you. It may be I ain't got the
Lord's meanin' exactly clear, whether the marriages made on this earth
are goin' to hold good in heaven, so you kin surely see, 'Lizabeth, that
there ain't no use in me addin' complications to the future at my time
of life."

And here reaching under his pillow Uncle Ambrose drew forth a crumpled
sheet of paper torn from a book which deeded his cottage to Elizabeth
Horton and five thousand dollars in bank in the event of her becoming
his wife.

"I know this document ain't legal," he explained, "but I'll have it writ
out fair and square by a lawyer and sign it soon as ever I can ef
you'll only give me a little slip of paper in return with a few easy
words written on it."

The woman waited a moment puzzled. "I don't quite understand you, Uncle
Ambrose," she returned.

"No, of course you don't, child. I just want to know ef you feel willin'
to write down these here words: 'I, Elizabeth Horton, bein' fourth wife
to Ambrose Thompson, do hereby relinquish all claim to him come the time
when I shall meet him in heaven.' You see how 'tis, 'Lizabeth," Uncle
Ambrose argued wistfully. "I wisht I'd thought to make some such plan
with Peachy 'fore she died; not that I'm at all certain she'd 'a' done
it," he added truthfully, "but it would 'a' eased my mind consid'ble in
these last childish days ef I only had little gentle Sarah to explain
things to on the other side. I don't want there should be any argufyin'
or confusion just when Em'ly and me are tryin' to git off quiet to
ourselves and talk things over."

Elizabeth did not an