ive red lips seeming about to sparkle into a
smile--even the golden brown mist of hair that hid the delicately turned
ear!

Then Droop suddenly remembered his plans, and with his hand he dropped
the picture as his mind dismissed it. He rose and looked about for his
hat.

"Ye wouldn't want to come back to '76 with me an' leave Cousin Phoebe
behind, would ye?" he suggested, dismally.

"What!" cried Rebecca, giving vent to her pent-up feelings, "an' never
see my sister again! Why, I'd hev to come livin' along up behind her,
and, all I could do, I'd never catch up with her--never! You'd ought to
be ashamed to stand there an' think o' sech a thing, Copernicus Droop!"

For some time he stood with bent head and shoulders, twirling his hat
between his fingers. At length he straightened up suddenly and moved
toward the door.

"Well," he said, "the' isn't any use you seem' the Panchronicon now, is
the'?"

"What's it like, Mr. Droop?" Rebecca inquired.

He paused helpless before the very thought of description.

"Oh," he said, weakly, "et's like--et's a--why--Oh, it's a machine!"

"Hez it got wings?"

"Not exactly wings," he began, then, more earnestly, "why don't ye come
and see it, anyway! It can't do ye any harm to jest look at it!"

Rebecca dropped her hands into her lap and replied, with a hesitating
manner:

"I'd like to fust rate--it must be an awful queer machine! But I don't
get much time fer traipsin' 'round now days."

"Why can't ye come right along now?" Droop asked, eagerly. "It's dry as
a bone underfoot down in the swamp now. The's ben no rain in a long
time."

She pondered some time before replying. Her first impulse was to reject
the proposal as preposterous. The hour seemed very ill chosen. Rebecca
was not accustomed to leaving home for any purpose at night, and she was
extremely conservative.

On the other hand, she felt that only under cover of the darkness could
she consent to go anywhere in company with the village reprobate. Every
tongue in the place would be set wagging were she seen walking with
Copernicus Droop. She had not herself known how strong was the curiosity
which his startling theories and incredible story had awakened in her.
She looked up at her visitor with indecision in her eyes.

"I don't see how I could go now," she said. "Besides, it's mos' too
dark to see the thing, ain't it?"

"Not a mite," he replied, confidently. "The's lights inside I can turn
on, an' we'll see t