s!" he cried after the fascinating Sally. "For sure and certain,
to-night!"

"It's a bargain!" cried she.

"For better or worser, richer or poorer, up an' down, in an' out,
chassez right and left! Aha-ha-ha! Aha-ha-ha! But, Seffy,"--and the
happy father turned to the happy son and hugged him, "don't you efer
forgit that she's a feather-head and got a bright red temper like her
daddy! And they both work mighty bad together sometimes. When you get
her at the right place onct--well, nail her down--hand and feet--so's
she can't git away. When she gits mad her little brain evaporates, and
if she had a knife she'd go round stabbing her best friends--that's the
only sing that safes her--yas, and us!--no knife. If she had a knife it
would be funerals following her all the time."

II

They advanced together now, Seffy's father whistling some tune that was
never heard before on earth, and, with his arm in that of his son, they
watched Sally bounding away. Once more, as she leaped a fence, she
looked laughingly back. The old man whistled wildly out of tune. Seffy
waved a hand!

"Now you shouting, Seffy! Shout ag'in!"

"I didn't say a word!"

"Well--it ain't too late! Go on!"

Now Seffy understood and laughed with his father.

"Nice gal, Sef--Seffy!"

"Yes!" admitted Seffy with reserve.

"Healthy."

Seffy agreed to this, also.

"No doctor-bills!" his father amplified.

Seffy said nothing.

"Entire orphen."

"She's got a granny!"

"Yas," chuckled the old man at the way his son was drifting into the
situation--thinking about granny!--"but Sally owns _the farm_!"

"Uhu!" said Seffy, whatever that might mean.

"And Sally's the boss!"

Silence.

"And granny won't object to any one Sally marries, anyhow--she dassent!
She'd git licked!"

"Who said anything about marrying?"

Seffy was speciously savage now--as any successful wooer might be.

"Nobody but me, sank you!" said the old man with equally specious
meekness. "Look how she ken jump a six-rail fence. Like a three-year
filly! She's a nice gal, Seffy--and the farms j'ine together--her
pasture-field and our corn-field. And she's kissing her hand backwards!
At me or you, Seffy?"

Seffy said he didn't know. And he did not return the kiss--though he
yearned to.

"Well, I bet a dollar that the first initial of his last name is
Sephenijah P. Baumgartner, _Junior_."

"Well!" said Seffy with a great flourish, "I'm going to set up with her
to-night."