was justice on earth, his sin should have been branded on him,
that other women might take warning.

Dave knew that her thoughts had flown miles wide of him, and his
unselfishness told him that it would be kindness to go into the house
and leave her to herself, which he did with a heavy heart and many
misgivings.

Hi Holler had none of Dave's sensitiveness. He saw Anna standing by
the gate, and being a loquacious soul, who saw no advantage in silence,
if there was a fellow creature to talk to; he came up grinning: "Say,
Anna, I wonder if me and you was both thinkin' about the same thing--I
was thinkin' as I seen Sanderson and Kate passing that I certainly
would enjoy a piece o' weddin' cake, don't care whose it was."

"No, Hi," Anna said, being careful to restrain any bitterness of tone,
"I certainly was not wishing for a wedding cake."

"I certainly do like wedding cake, Anna, but then, I like everything to
eat. Some folks don't like one thing, some folks don't like another.
Difference between them an' me is, I like everything."

Anna laughed in spite of herself.

"Yes, since I like everything, and I like it all the time, why, I ain't
more than swallowed the last buckwheat for breakfast, than I am ready
for dinner. You don't s'pose I'm sick or anything, do you, Anna?"

"I don't think the symptoms sound alarming, Hi."

"Well, you take a load off my mind, Anna, cause I was getting scared
about myself." Seeing the empty water-pail, Hi refilled it and carried
it in the house for Anna. Dave was not the only one in that household
who was miserable, owing to Cupid's unaccountable antics. Professor
Sterling, the well-paying summer boarder, continued to remain with the
Bartletts, though summer, the happy season during which the rustic may
square his grudge with the city man within his gates, had long since
passed.

The professor had spared enough time from his bugs and beetles to
notice how blue Kate's eyes were, and how luxurious her hair; then he
had also, with some misgivings, regarded his own in the mirror, with
the unassuring result that his hair was thinning on top and his eyes
looked old through his gold-bowed spectacles.

The discovery did not meet with the indifference one might have
expected on the part of the conscientious entomologist. He fell even
to the depths of reading hair-restoring circulars and he spent
considerable time debating whether he should change his spectacles for
a pince-nez.