t you to come up right away and look over the house and get
acquainted with the neighborhood."

"Are we going to have nice neighbors?" she asked.

"First-class. A mighty fine lot of folks. They 'll all put themselves
out to accommodate you. I think you 'll like them."

"Oh, I know I shall," she answered.

"And I 'll have something I want to give you, too. And we can talk
things over and make up our minds about the date. I don't see any use
in waiting a long time, do you?"

"Well--no; not too long. But of course there are quite a number of
things that need to be done first."

"Yes--of course," he mused. "Quite a number of things that have to be
done. And there 's the license to get, too," looking up suddenly at
the court-house.

"What!--right now?"

"We might as well get it while we 're right here, don't you think? I
might have to come out here after it anyway--and maybe the Comanche
would be up and on a rampage. Here we are right now. And there's the
court-house."

"It does seem the most sensible way--of course. You had better do
whatever you think best."

Upon receiving this commission he arose and proceeded for the license.
As he set foot upon the court-house steps he paused and looked back at
her. He was straight as a ramrod; there was self-confidence in his
carriage and pride in his mien.

"I 'll bet ten dollars _I 'll_ pass," he said.

CHAPTER XII

Susie's ma--she who made the "real Northern" pie--was busy in her
kitchen. A dishpanful of dough, which had risen till it overhung the
edges of the pan, indicated that it was high time to knead a batch of
bread. She was just clearing the table with this end in view when she
heard a familiar sound in the distance, and going to the window she saw
that Jonas Hicks was at home again. He turned loose his "string," now
reduced to two yoke, and went into the house.

While it was no unusual thing for Jonas to go into the house, it was
seldom that he stayed long, for which reason Mrs. Berry tarried at the
window in expectation of getting another sight of him. While she was
thus waiting she saw Mrs. Harmon making her way across the open.
Evidently she was bound for Jonas's house. She had hardly reached the
door when Mrs. Norton and Kitty Wright made their appearance on Claxton
Road, arm in arm. They turned off the road and bent their steps in the
same direction. In a little while Mrs. Plympton and another of her
aristocratic neighbors i