come upon him unawares. You'd
'risk' me, just as Monty 'risked' Ned Clackett to climb the schoolhouse
roof after a ball, not daring to go himself. Well, here goes! You keep
watch without while I search within."

Susanna laughed. She was afraid, and owned it frankly; but after
Katharine had ransacked the few rooms thoroughly, peeped under the bed
in the kitchen-bedroom, opened the few closet doors, and even examined
the wall cupboard, she gathered courage to enter, and promptly led the
way up-stairs.

The little home was plainly furnished, but represented the romance of
her life to old Susanna. Memories of her youth came back and softened
the asperity of age, her wrinkled face taking on gentler lines and her
harsh voice a tenderer tone. But to-day she was in haste. She felt
herself needed at The Maples, even with the capable Deacon Meakin left
to "hold the fort," as he expressed it. Going to a chest of drawers she
opened the top one and displayed a store of blankets, different from
those Katharine had seen. They looked like very coarse and heavy
flannel, and were yellow with age. "Them was part of my fittin' out. I
spun an' wove 'em myself, whilst Sprigg an' me was walkin' out
together," she explained, carefully peering into the folds of the cloth,
in search of any vagrant moth.

"Why, how in the world could you do that? I thought when one spun and
wove they had to have wheels and looms and things. How could you carry
such about with you, even with Sprigg, I mean Mr. Sprigg, to help?"

Susanna looked over her spectacles more hurt than angry. But she saw
only honest surprise on the girl's face, and, after a pause, explained:

"'Walkin' out together' means keepin' comp'ny; as men an' women do
who've promised to marry each other."

"Oh, an engagement! I remember quite well, too well, when papa and Mrs.
Snowball 'walked out together.' It quite did away with the delightful
'walkin' out' I had always had with him before that time."

"Well, Katy, be sure if Johnny picked her out she was the right one, an'
me an' Eunice hopes to see the pair of ye good friends yet. We're layin'
out to have all them little Snowballs down here, or up here, next
summer, if we live to see another summer, an' make up our own minds as
to how things is. We've settled that."

Which shows that even strong-minded women like Susanna may sometimes
change their minds; also lay claim to ideas not originally their own.
But the effect upon Katharine w