g the
overalls, as though the train were a wild animal to be kept quiet by
having its attention diverted. The sight tickled the engineer.

"Golly, it must be a weddin'," he remarked, facetiously. "Who's
gettin' hitched? You, Miss Weir?"

"Hold your tongue!" she commanded, and the abashed young man collapsed
into his box.

By this time Hannah had arrived, and was being helped aboard. The
wraps, the pies, the bottle of milk, the crock of butter, the basket of
provisions, and her husband, were bundled after her. The group of
friends stood waving good-by with sunbonnets and aprons, the
schoolmistress, still holding Jake's forgotten pipe, and still
faithfully brandishing the overalls, stepped off the track to let the
train start, and the expedition was just drawing a breath of relief,
when they were suddenly thrown back into their former state of
consternation. Conductor Lauchie leaned down from the platform, and,
with his thumb pointing over his shoulder, announced in a loud whisper,
"Losh keep us, I would be forgetting! He'll be aboard, Harriet Munn!
Your new pill-mixer'll be aboard!"

Mrs. Munn stared at him in dismay. "Not him! Not the new doctor!"

The conductor looked abashed, as though he had brought the wrong parcel
from town. "Och, he would be as fine a lookin' young man as you'll see
in Oro!" he whispered, apologetically. "Will I jist be puttin' him off
here?"

"Don't you dast to do such a trick, Lauchie McKitterick!" cried Mrs.
Winters, shaking her fist in his face. "Harriet's been up helpin'
Hannah all mornin', an' she ain't ready for him. Take him on to the
station, an' we'll run up an' help her red up before he comes. An'
mind you go slow!"

The conductor hastily acquiesced. He was a native of Elmbrook, and
knew his place when Susan Winters was giving orders. "Awl aboard!" he
shouted.

The group gave one final, farewell flourish toward the train, and then
turned and sped up the lane to meet the new emergency. Jake and
Hannah, their faces settled once more into their accustomed expressions
of good-humored placidity, leaned from their windows and waved their
hands. Hannah smiled a toothless but happy smile, and Jake's eyes
beamed a great content as he sat back in his seat, and, holding the
rattle between his teeth, fumbled happily for a match. He looked
across at his wife, and their eyes met in a rapturous smile; for at
last, after years of striving and longing, they were on their wa