ow aint they, Doctor?"

"Rather strange," replied the Doctor dryly.

After riding a few moments in silence, daddy ventured to make still
another attempt to open a conversation. "'Tween you and me, Doctor,
was you acquainted with Miss Sherman?"

"What Miss Sherman?" said the Doctor in surprise.

"Why, young Edward's mother, down in the old Bay State. I ain't heern
nothin' from the folks down thar since I left. I seed young Edward
didn't know me, but I've dandled him on my knee many a time, when he
was a leetle shaver. 'Tween you and me there was a gal working at
Judge Sherman's that I had a liking fur, so Sundays, I used to go down
thar sparking, I'd kinder like to know if that gal's spliced yet."

"What was her name?"

"Her name was Miss Orrecta Lippincott; they generally called her
Recta, in the Judge's family."

"Recta is single yet, I saw her just before we left; but why did'nt
you marry her?"

"'Tween you and me, Doctor, I was a fool, I've allers felt a kinder
hankering after her. I can't get over them fust feelings I had, to
this ere day. Is she handsome yit, Doctor?"

"Not very."

"Well, I used to tell her if she got old and grey, it wouldn't make no
difference in my feelins," said the old man, rubbing his great, coarse
hand across his eyes.

"'Tain't natur," he began after a moment's pause, "to keep our
feelings shet in allers. Now, mammy is chuck full of spunk since
she's married me, so I aint let on to nobody. Ye see, if she got hold
on't, she'd never give me a minute's peace."

"Well, why didn't you marry Miss Lippincott?"

"'Tween you and me, Doctor, I got it into my head that she liked Sam
Brown. Ye see, there was a man told me that he seed him and her kiss,
right afore Judge Sherman's gate. Wall, this feller was allers puttin'
me up to think that Orrecta was flirty like, and I was jest fool
enough to believe him, so I jest packed up my duds and cum out West,
with Dr. DeWolf. He'd been teasing me to cum 'long with him fur some
time. Ye see, I'd allers been his gardener, ever since he was married.
Miss DeWolf that's dead now, she sot heaps by me. 'Now, Philip,' says
she--ye see my real name is Philip Roarer--'we can't get 'long without
you, fur to milk the cow and make the garden'. I could see that her
eyes was a leetle watery like, and I knew that she hated to cum off
alone, with the Doctor, 'cause sometimes when he got a leetle tight,
he didn't treat her nun too well. But the Doctor got 'lo