back this morning. Could not Mr. Sherman
go for you? Daddy might show him the way."

Edward cast an imploring look towards the Doctor, who magnanimously
sacrificed his own ease to the wishes of his friend. "It will be
necessary, for me to go myself," he replied; "but give yourself no
uneaseiness, Miss DeWolf. I do not think your father will have a
second attack. I will accept your offer of a guide, and, with your
permission will leave my friend, Mr. Sherman, as my proxy."

There was a slight dash of malice in the Doctor's last words, which
Edward was too grateful to notice.

When the hour for setting out arrived, daddy appeared, armed and
equipped, for what his fears had magnified into an exceedingly
perilous journey. At sight him, of Little Wolf burst into an
uncontrollable fit of laughter. His little, insignificant figure was
girded by an old leathern belt, which was literally stuck full, of
such weapons as he could hastily pick up, about the premises.

"Bless me! what do you expect to do with that outlandish outfit?" said
his young mistress, when she was able to speak.

"Why 'fend myself, to be sure," replied the old man indignantly.

"O, fie, daddy," said she coaxingly; take off that heavy old belt. Why
it makes you look so, and sweat so, too. Come, now, if you will, I'll
lend you one of my pistols."

The old man's rising temper was quite mollified, at the proposal of
Little Wolf; for to sport those pistols, had been an honor, to which
he had hitherto aspired in vain.

"Well, now, I'll explain the case, honey," said he, attempting to
approach her; "'tween you and me--"

"O, no, no," said Little Wolf, putting her fingers to her ears, and
slipping our of his way.

"Bless her heart," said daddy, turning to the Doctor; "that's just the
way she used to run away from me, when she was a little gal. 'Tween
you and me, though, I was only going to tell her, how it wasn't the
heft of this ere belt, that made me sweat so. It was sharpening these
ere, on the old grindstone," and he drew forth a couple of large
butcher knives, which glistened brightly in the sunbeams.

"O, those knives are just what mammy wants in the kitchen; I heard her
say so," said Little Wolf appearing on the piazza with the pistols.

It required a vast amount of coaxing to bring the old man to terms,
but finally a compromise was effected, and stowing a knife away in his
coat pocket, he set out with one of the pistols, the Doctor being
armed w