ndled a little fire in the large old fireplace, and dried my clothes
before it.

"I tell ye that's a cute place to roast sweet corn ears," Halstead
remarked. "In the fall I have a fire here evenings and roast corn; I did
last fall and you and I will this next fall. It's jolly fun, after the
nights get cool; I would like to sleep down here, but the old gent wants
me to sleep in the house; I made a bunk of shavings and set out to stay
one night before my fire, but he came down and knocked at the door about
ten o'clock. He said I had better go up to the house.

"The old gent is awful particular about a fellow being out after dark,"
Halstead continued. "I ain't used, myself, to being bossed round so, and
treated as if I was a child that hadn't cut my teeth yet. I've seen
something of the world and can take care of number one, anywheres. It
ain't as if I was a little green chap. I've lived out among folks, till
I came 'way back here. I suppose the old gent and all the rest of them
think, that I don't know any more and must be looked after just like one
of these little greenhorns round here. It's a great bore to me to be
treated that way and I don't like it at all. It makes me mad sometimes.
A fellow that has travelled and seen something, wants more liberty."

I could see that he was talking around to lead up to something he wished
to tell me, and so said nothing.

"Now the other night," Halstead continued, "all I was going off for was
to get some money of a fellow who owes me out at the Corners; I wanted
to get it bad, for I wanted to pay you and the girls what I owe you. I
knew you wanted it for the Fourth and I wanted to pay it; so I thought I
would slip out to the Corners, and see this fellow and get it of him,
for he had promised me I should have it that night. I felt ructious that
I couldn't go, for of course a fellow wants to pay his honest debts, and
it's kinder hard when he can't."

I mentally set this down as one of the things that are important, if
true; it was pretty plain to me, however, that Halstead was hedging, and
making up a story which he thought suited to my understanding. I did not
like to hear him go on, and contrived to change the conversation.

Halstead was in one of his good moods that morning, and as he worked
with the draw-shave, he cast knowing, proud glances first at the wheeled
contrivance, then at me. I concluded that he wanted me to inquire about
it and so asked what it was for.

"A wind