know it."

"Oh, no, Miss Hester; I would n't dast do nothin' like that; you know,
'He that calleth his brother a fool is in danger o' hell fire,' an' I
'low the Lord don't make it no easier when it happens to be a sister.
No, Miss Hester, you know yore own business best, an' you 've got along
this fur without bein' guided by people. I guess you 'll git through;
but a child, Miss Hester, don't you think that it 's a leetle bit
resky?"

"Resky? I don't see why. The child ain't a-goin' to eat me or burn the
house down."

"No, no,--none o' that,--I don't mean that at all; but then, you see,
you 'ain't never had no--that is--you 'ain't had much experunce in the
bringin' up o' childern, specially boys."

"Much! I 'ain't had none. But I 've been brought up."

"That 's true, that 's true, an' a mighty good job yore mother made of
it, too. I don't know of no spryer or stirrin'er woman around here at
yore age."

"At my age! 'Liphalet, you do talk as ef I was about fifty."

"Well, ef I do, I ain't a sayin' what I want to say, so I 'd better
hush. Where is the little fellow?"

For answer, Miss Prime pushed the door open and bade him peep. Freddie
was still upon the floor, absorbed in his book. The man's face lighted
up: he pulled the door to long enough to say, "I tell you, Miss Hester,
that boy 's a-goin' to make a great reader or a speaker or somethin'.
Jest look how wrapped up he is in that book."

"Well, I do hope an' pray to goodness that he 'll make somethin' better
than his father ever made."

"Ef he don't under yore trainin', it 'll be because there ain't nothin'
in him.--Come here, Freddie," called Hodges, pushing the door open, and
holding out his hand with a smile. The child got up from the floor and
came and put his hand in the outstretched one.

"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Miss Hester. "I tried my level best to git
that child to make up with me, an' he would n't."

"It's jest like I say, Miss Hester: you 'ain't never had no experunce in
raisin' childern."

"An' how many have you ever raised, 'Liphalet?"

The bachelor acknowledged defeat by a sheepish smile, and turned again
to the child. "You want to go a-ridin' in my buggy, Freddie?"

"Yes, sir," said the child, unhesitatingly.

"All right; Uncle 'Liph 'll take him out fur a while. Git his hat an'
wrap him up, Miss Hester, so Jack Frost can't ketch him."

The man stood smiling down into the child's face: the boy, smiling back,
tightened his gra