make him hustle round and put up a tombstone to the first Mrs.
Job--and she had a place left on it for her own name. She said there'd
be nobody to make Job put up a monument to HER."

"Speaking of Taylors, how is Mrs. Lewis Taylor up at the Glen, doctor?"
asked Captain Jim.

"She's getting better slowly--but she has to work too hard," replied
Gilbert.

"Her husband works hard too--raising prize pigs," said Miss Cornelia.
"He's noted for his beautiful pigs. He's a heap prouder of his pigs
than of his children. But then, to be sure, his pigs are the best pigs
possible, while his children don't amount to much. He picked a poor
mother for them, and starved her while she was bearing and rearing
them. His pigs got the cream and his children got the skim milk.

"There are times, Cornelia, when I have to agree with you, though it
hurts me," said Captain Jim. "That's just exactly the truth about
Lewis Taylor. When I see those poor, miserable children of his, robbed
of all children ought to have, it p'isens my own bite and sup for days
afterwards."

Gilbert went out to the kitchen in response to Anne's beckoning. Anne
shut the door and gave him a connubial lecture.

"Gilbert, you and Captain Jim must stop baiting Miss Cornelia. Oh,
I've been listening to you--and I just won't allow it."

'Anne, Miss Cornelia is enjoying herself hugely. You know she is.'

"Well, never mind. You two needn't egg her on like that. Dinner is
ready now, and, Gilbert, DON'T let Mrs. Rachel carve the geese. I know
she means to offer to do it because she doesn't think you can do it
properly. Show her you can."

"I ought to be able to. I've been studying A-B-C-D diagrams of carving
for the past month," said Gilbert. "Only don't talk to me while I'm
doing it, Anne, for if you drive the letters out of my head I'll be in
a worse predicament than you were in old geometry days when the teacher
changed them."

Gilbert carved the geese beautifully. Even Mrs. Rachel had to admit
that. And everybody ate of them and enjoyed them. Anne's first
Christmas dinner was a great success and she beamed with housewifely
pride. Merry was the feast and long; and when it was over they
gathered around the cheer of the red hearth flame and Captain Jim told
them stories until the red sun swung low over Four Winds Harbor, and
the long blue shadows of the Lombardies fell across the snow in the
lane.

"I must be getting back to the light," he said fin