h a jerk, Reuben stepped down with unusual liveliness, and behold!
there were two patrons ready with orders to be executed.

Miss Eunice and Montgomery Sturtevant. They faced each other in mutual
surprise. Each held a sealed letter in hand and each was in haste. The
lady spoke first: "Why, Monty! Is your grandmother trusting you to take
care of her business matters already? That's fine."

"N-n-no, Aunt Eu-Eu-Eunice. I-I-I-I--" The afflicted lad had never
stammered worse nor seemed so uncomfortable.

Puzzled, but too well-bred to pry into other people's affairs, Miss
Maitland finished her directions to the stage-driver and general
express agent for the village, and went home. Montgomery's relief at
her departure made Reuben laugh, but he liked the lad and listened very
patiently to the almost endless details stammered at him. Then he most
carefully, with an exaggerated caution indeed, bestowed the fat envelope
which contained ten whole crisp new dollars where nobody but himself
would be apt to look for it--not in the wallet with his other
commissions, but in his boot! This gave the whole transaction a touch of
the romantic, and suggested possible "hold-ups" in a way to set Monty's
eyes a-bulge. Then the stage rattled away to the north, and the day's
monotony settled upon Marsden village.

There was much whispering that day in school, and a prompt departure
from the building at close of the afternoon's session. It had been
noticeable, also, that at "nooning" every scholar, old or young, had
repaired to the rear of the play-ground, out of hearing of the teacher.
There they had grouped themselves about Katharine Maitland, with
Montgomery Sturtevant as her supporter, and had listened breathlessly to
some matter she divulged. Only one sentence had reached the master's
ears, as he tapped the bell for them to come in again to later lessons:

"Everybody don't forget a knife. And everybody'll get an invitation
to-morrow. Then everybody will understand, and if everybody isn't
perfectly delighted, I shall be surprised. Teacher will have his, too;
I'm workin' on it with nice red ink."

That some exciting affair was on foot, and that he was to be included in
it was evident; and being himself not many years older than his "big
boys," he was patiently indulgent over the many blunders at recitations
which followed.

Never had Marsden school children arrived at their respective homes so
early, nor so promptly availed themselves of