in Will eating from a paper of buns while he leaned out of the
window to watch the great load of hay coming down the street. Before the
wagon came opposite the window it was going on a noisy trot; Will caught
sight of Dora and Gil on top, and he was so much surprised that, when
Gil made a motion to him to throw them a bun, he threw the whole
paperful right on the hay.

While the hay-wagon rolled on, Gil and Dora began eating the buns, and
Will disappeared from the window. He went down stairs four steps at a
jump, tumbled into the dining-room, and astonished Aunt Mary, his
mother, very much by demanding, "Oh, mamma dear, can I go and take a
ride on an awful big load of hay?" Aunt Mary was for some time puzzled
to know just what her excited boy meant; but when she did understand,
she told him he might go and invite Farmer Jonathan, Gil, and Dora to
dinner. The hay-wagon had then disappeared down the street, and Will had
to stop every few minutes to inquire which way it had gone, for many
persons had noticed how large the load was.

As it was market-day in town, a number of people soon collected around
the wagon, when Farmer Jonathan stopped in front of Grocer Bacon's, and
went into the store to ask Bacon if he wouldn't buy the hay. Gil didn't
like to call to Farmer Jonathan while the people stood around, though by
getting as close to the edge of the hay as he dared, Gil could just have
a peep at him through the loose hay, as he stood in the store door
talking with Dionysius Bacon.

As Dionysius considered himself a pretty smart fellow, and enjoyed
cracking jokes with people, particularly when the joke was on his side,
he went on chaffing Farmer Jonathan about the hay. He offered to trade
brooms, clothes-lines, etc., for it, while those standing around
laughed, and those passing along the street paused to see what the fun
was.

"Now is this all nice hay?" asked Dionysius, speaking as though he was
done joking, and was very much in earnest. At the same time he was slyly
working a clothes-peg into the hay, which he intended to find in a
moment after, and then go on joking again.

"Every spear of it sweet and dry," was the answer.

"That's so, Grocer Bacon," exclaimed Gil, earnestly, and then lying very
quiet, so as not to be discovered, and also cautioning Dora.

Dionysius Bacon jumped away from the hay, dropped the clothes-peg, and
looked foolish, for the voice seemed to him, as well as to others, to
come right out