the world is on a
keen jump. Hold on a moment. Here comes Nancy's dad."

Old man Pitt came walking carefully into the room, looking about to
avoid upsetting anything. He shook hands with Lyman and Warren, looked
for a place to spit, did not find it and spat on the floor. "I seen
your little rumpus over yonder jest now," said he, "and it was
powerful entertainin'. You snatched that feller about like he wa'n't
nothin' more than a feather pillow. And I'm glad of it, for if there
ever was a scoundrel on the face of the earth he's the man. I drapped
in town today to see if there was any news goin' on, an' I bucked up
agin it the first off-start. That's what I call keepin' things lively.
Mr. Warren, our cousin Jerry was over at the house last night."

"The deuce you say!" Warren exclaimed.

"Yes, sir, last night; and he apologized for havin' been a leetle
slow. He 'lowed that it had been in his mind all along to marry
Nancy--"

"I'll shoot the top of his head off!" Warren broke in.

"No need of that, my son. I told him that we was much obleeged for his
deliberation as the feller says, but that he was too late; and Nancy
she up and tells him that she never had thought of marryin' him, and
that she wouldn't have had him if he had asked her three years ago.
And then she 'lowed that she loved you--"

"Talk about women!" Warren cried. "There's one for your life. And say,
I'll be out there tomorrow morning at eight o'clock and the ceremony
will be performed at half past eight. Just hold on, now, there's no
use in arguing with me. She was born to you, but, by George, she was
born for me, and that's all there is to it."

"Young feller," said Mr. Pitt, "the day for me to buck agin you is
past. I don't mind markin' yearlin' calves and I don't hold off when
it comes to breakin' up a hornet's nest, but I stand ready and
willin' to fling up my hands when it comes to pullin' agin you. I have
been kept busy many a time in my life; I have been woke up at mornin'
and kept on the stretch pretty nigh till midnight, but you can come
nearer occupyin' all my time and the time of all my folks than any
article I ever come up against. I give in and so do the rest of them.
You can jump on a hoss and ride right out there and marry her before I
can git home if you want to."

The old fellow bowed his head as if he were exhausted with the strain
of a long fight. Lyman sputtered with laughter, and Warren, his eyes
shedding the light of victory, t