along and git your seats in the
barge." A wild rush was made for the door, but Hiram backed against it
and screamed at the top of his voice: "No two girls must sit close
together. Fust a girl, then a feller, next a girl, then a feller, next a
girl, then a feller, that's the rule."

He opened the door and dashed out, followed by all the members of the
society excepting the Professor and 'Zekiel, who were left alone in the
room.

"See that flock of sheep," said the Professor to 'Zekiel, with a strong
touch of sarcasm in his tone. "That's what makes me so cussed mad.
Brains and glorious achievement count for nothin' in this community. If
a city swell comes along with a pocketful of money and just cries,
'Baa,' over the fence they all go after him."

"Hasn't it always been so?" asked 'Zekiel.

"Not a bit of it," said Strout. "In the old days, kings and queens and
princes used to search for modest merit, and when found they rewarded
it. Nowadays modest merit has to holler and yell and screech to make
folks look at it."

Hiram again appeared in the room, beckoning to the two occupants.

"Say, ain't you two comin' along?" he cried. "We've saved good places
for yer."

"Where's Mr. Sawyer?" asked 'Zekiel.

"Oh, he's goin' along with the crowd," said Hiram; "he's got a seat in
between Miss Putnam and Miss Mason, and looks as snug as a bug in a rug.
There's a place for you, Mr. Pettengill, between Miss Mason and Mandy,
and I comes in between Mandy and Mrs. Hawkins. Mandy wanted her mother
to go cuz she works so confounded hard and gits out of doors so seldom,
and there's a seat 'tween Mrs. Hawkins and Tilly James for the
Professor, and Sam Hill's t'other side of Tilly and nex' to S'frina
Cotton."

"I guess I can't go," said 'Zekiel. "The house is all alone, and I'm
kind of 'fraid thet thet last hoss I bought may get into trouble again
as he did last night. So I guess I'd better go home and look arter
things." Leaning over he whispered in Hiram's ear, "I reckon you'd
better take the seat between Huldy and Mandy, you don't want ter
separate a mother from her daughter, you know."

"All right," said Hiram, with a knowing wink, "I'm satisfied to
obleege."

Hiram then turned to the Professor: "Ain't yer goin', Mr. Strout?"

"When this sleigh ride was projected," said the Professor with dignity,
"I s'posed it was to be for the members of the singin' class and not for
boardin' mistresses and city loafers."

"I guess it d