y one word," returned his wife, with a fierce shake of
her head at him.

"What's in them jugs?"

"It's nothing but sweetened water. Don't, father," pleaded Rose under
her breath, her pretty face flaming.

Her mother scowled indomitably at Silas tagging threateningly at her
elbow. "Don't you say one word," she whispered again.

"You ain't goin' to--give 'em--"

"Don't you speak," she returned, hissing out the "s."

Silas said no more. He followed on, and watched the doughnuts being
distributed to the merry party seated in a great ring like a very
garland of youth under his trees; he saw them drink his sweetened
water.

"Don't you want some?" asked his wife's defiantly pleasant voice in
his ear.

"No, I don't want none," he returned.

Finally, long before they had finished eating, he went home to the
tavern. There was no one in the house. He stole cautiously into the
pantry, and there was a reserve of doughnuts in a large milk-pan
sitting before the window. Silas crooked his old arm around the pan,
carried it painfully across the great kitchen and the entry into the
best room, and pushed it far under the bureau. Then he returned, and
concealed the molasses-jug in the brick oven. He stood for a minute
in the middle of the kitchen floor, chuckling and nodding as if to
the familiar and confidential spirit of his own greed; then he went
out, and a short way down the road to the cottage house where old
Hiram Baxter lived and kept a little shoemaker's shop in the L. He
entered, and sat down in the little leather-reeking place with Hiram,
and was safe and removed from inquiry when Mrs. Berry returned to the
tavern for the remaining doughnuts and to mix more sweetened water.
The doughnuts could not be found, but she carried a pail across to
the store, got more molasses from the barrel, and so in one point
outwitted her husband.

Mrs. Berry was famous for her rich doughnuts, and the first supply
had been quite exhausted. William went up to her at once when she
returned to the party. "Where's the rest of the doughnuts?" he
whispered.

"Your father's hid 'em," she whispered back. "Hush, don't say
anything."

William scowled and made an exclamation. "The old--"

"Hush!" whispered his mother again; "go up to the house and get the
sweetened water. I've mixed another jug."

"Where is he?" demanded William.

"I dunno. He ain't to the store."

William strode off across the field, and he searched through the
house w