s glad to creep away to bed,
for I had grown so sleepy that I could scarcely keep my eyes open. It
seemed to me, too, that I had no more than fallen soundly asleep when I
heard somebody knocking and saying that it was time to get up and dress.
'Twas actually some moments before I could believe that morning had come
again. The sun had risen, however, and Halstead was dressing.
"Grandmarm's up fryin' my trout," said he. "I can smell 'em. O won't
they taste good! But one is all you can have."

"If you had done your part, we might all three have caught some trout,"
I grumbled, for I felt sleepy still and not in a good humor.

"Look here," said Halstead, "I stand a good deal of that kind of talk
from Ad, but you needn't think you can take up his tune."

"What will you do?" I asked.

"Give you a thrashing," said Halstead. "It would do you good, too. One
little George Washington is all we can have in this house."

I had some doubts as to his being able to handle me; still he was
considerably the larger, and I concluded that I had better not provoke
him to a trial of his ability in that direction. But his threat set a
deep resentment brewing in my mind. At breakfast time, however, he
attempted to soften the asperities of boy life between us, by putting
two trout, instead of one, on my plate. I surmised that Theodora had
prompted him to do it, however, but was not certain.

Gramp and Ellen had been to the pasture the previous evening and driven
the flock of sheep and lambs down to the west barn, where they had
remained shut up over night. This was the Old Squire's custom with his
flock the night of the washing, to prevent the sheep from taking cold,
and also from a theory of his that if they were kept warm for two nights
after washing, the oil from their skins would start sufficiently to put
the wool in proper condition for shearing on the third day.

After breakfast, the business of the day was announced to be
bean-planting, at which Halstead groaned audibly. Twelve quarts of
yellow-eyed beans, which had been carefully picked over, were brought
out from the granary chamber for seed; and with tin basins to drop from
and hoes to cover with, we were about setting off for the field, when
the bleating of sheep was heard along the road, and a babel of voices.
"There comes Edwards' flock!" cried Halstead. "And there's Tom and
Kate."

The flock went streaming along the road; and we young folks turned out
to assist in driving t