n' with her talk. Now she
seems to be keepin' out of my way. What we've done to make her act so I
can't see, and neither can Emily."

Captain Bangs, to whom this remark was addressed, laughed.

"You ain't done anything, I guess," he said. "It ain't you she's down
on; it's your hired girl, the Imogene one. She seems to be more down on
that Imogene than a bow anchor on a mud flat. They don't hitch horses,
those two. You see she tries to boss and condescend and Imogene gives
her as good as she sends. It's got so that Hannah is actually scared of
that girl; don't pretend to be, of course; calls her 'the inmate' and
all sorts of names. But she is scared of her and don't like her."

Thankful was troubled. "I'm sorry," she said. "Imogene is independent,
but she's an awful kind-hearted girl. I do hate trouble amongst
neighbors."

"Oh, there won't be any trouble. Hannah's jealous, that's all the
trouble--jealous about Kenelm. You see, she wanted him to come here to
work so's she could have him under her thumb and run over and give him
orders every few minutes. Imogene gives him orders, too, and he minds;
she makes him. Hannah don't like that; 'cordin' to her notion Kenelm
hadn't ought to have any skipper but her. It's all right, though, Mrs.
Barnes. It's good for Kenelm and it's good for Hannah. Do 'em both good,
I cal'late."

But when Kenelm announced that he wasn't sure but that he should "heave
up his job" in a fortnight or so, the situation became more serious.

"He mustn't leave," declared Thankful. "August and early September
are the times when I've got to have a man on the place, and you say
yourself, Captain Bangs, that there isn't another man to be had just
now. If he goes--"

"Oh, he won't go. This is more of Hannah's talk; she's put him up to
this leavin' business. Offer him another dollar a week, if you have to,
and I'll do some preachin' to Hannah, myself."

When Thankful mentioned the matter to Imogene the latter's comment was
puzzling but emphatic.

"Don't you fret, ma'am," she said. "He ain't left yet."

"I know; but he says--"

"HE don't say it. It's that sister of his does all the sayin'. And SHE
ain't workin' for you that I know of."

"Now, Imogene, we mustn't, any of us, interfere between Kenelm and his
sister. She IS his sister, you know."

"Yes'm. But she isn't his mother and his grandmother and his aunt and
all his relations. And, if she was, 'twouldn't make no difference. He's
the one to