e smiled placidly, and returning to his
wagon clambered in again and chirruped cheerily to the brown horse.

"Gitty up, hossy!" he said. "I feel a sight better now. Gitty up!"

They jogged on for some time, Calvin mostly silent, though now and then
he broke out into song.

"Now Renzo was a sailor;
That's what Renzo was, tiddy hi!
He surely warn't a tailor,
So haul the bowline, haul!
He went adrift in Casco Bay,
Mate to a mud-scow haulin' hay,
And he come home late for his weddin' day,
So haul the bowline, haul!"

Rounding a curve in the road, he saw a man walking in the same direction
in which he was going; a young man, slight and wiry, walking with quick,
jerky strides. Calvin observed him.

"That young feller's in a hurry, hossy," he said. "See him? he's takin'
longer steps than what his legs are, and that's agin' natur'. What say
about givin' him a lift, hey?"

The brown horse, his ear being flicked, shook his head decidedly. "Sho!"
said Calvin, "you don't mean that, hossy. Your bark--well, not exactly
bark--is worse than your--not precisely bite, but you know what I mean.
He's in a hurry, and he's in trouble too, and you and me ain't neither
one nor 'tother. Say!" he called as he came within hailing distance.
"Want a lift?"

The man stopped with a start, and turned a pale face on Calvin. He had
red hair, and his blue eyes burned angrily.

"Yes!" he said. Calvin stopped, and he jumped quickly into the wagon.
Calvin looked at him expectantly a moment; then "Much obliged!" he said.
"Real accommodatin' of you!"

The young man colored like a girl. "I beg your pardon!" he said. "I'm
forgetting my manners and everything else, I guess. Much obliged to you
for takin' me up. I'm in a terrible hurry!" he added, looking doubtfully
at the brown horse, who was jogging peacefully along.

"Four legs is better than two!" said Calvin. "Gitty up, hossy! He makes
better time than what he appears to, hossy does. He's a better ro'der
than you be. We'll git there!"

"How far you goin'?" asked the man.

"Oh, down along a piece!" said Calvin. "Where be you?"

"I'm going to Tinkham," said the red-haired man with angry emphasis; "to
Lawyer Filcher. If there was any lawyer nearer I'd go to him."

"I want to know!" said Calvin sociably. "Insurance?"

"No!" the man broke out. "I'm goin' to get a bill!"

Now in our part of the country a "bill" means a bill of divorce. Calvin
shook his head with