g to marry you at all, have I?" I said
tartly, just to be consistent. For I wasn't feeling tart.

"No, but you will, won't you?" said Alexander Abraham anxiously.
"Because if you won't, I wish you'd let me die of the smallpox. Do, dear
Angelina."

To think that a man should dare to call me his "dear Angelina!" And to
think that I shouldn't mind!

"Where I go, William Adolphus goes," I said, "but I shall give away the
other five cats for--for the sake of Mr. Riley."

IX. Pa Sloane's Purchase

"I guess the molasses is getting low, ain't it?" said Pa Sloane
insinuatingly. "S'pose I'd better drive up to Carmody this afternoon and
get some more."

"There's a good half-gallon of molasses in the jug yet," said ma Sloane
ruthlessly.

"That so? Well, I noticed the kerosene demijohn wasn't very hefty the
last time I filled the can. Reckon it needs replenishing."

"We have kerosene enough to do for a fortnight yet." Ma continued to eat
her dinner with an impassive face, but a twinkle made itself apparent in
her eye. Lest Pa should see it, and feel encouraged thereby, she looked
immovably at her plate.

Pa Sloane sighed. His invention was giving out.

"Didn't I hear you say day before yesterday that you were out of
nutmegs?" he queried, after a few moments' severe reflection.

"I got a supply of them from the egg-pedlar yesterday," responded Ma,
by a great effort preventing the twinkle from spreading over her entire
face. She wondered if this third failure would squelch Pa. But Pa was
not to be squelched.

"Well, anyway," he said, brightening up under the influence of a sudden
saving inspiration. "I'll have to go up to get the sorrel mare shod. So,
if you've any little errands you want done at the store, Ma, just make a
memo of them while I hitch up."

The matter of shoeing the sorrel mare was beyond Ma's province, although
she had her own suspicions about the sorrel mare's need of shoes.

"Why can't you give up beating about the bush, Pa?" she demanded,
with contemptuous pity. "You might as well own up what's taking you to
Carmody. _I_ can see through your design. You want to get away to the
Garland auction. That is what is troubling you, Pa Sloane."

"I dunno but what I might step over, seeing it's so handy. But the
sorrel mare really does need shoeing, Ma," protested Pa.

"There's always something needing to be done if it's convenient,"
retorted Ma. "Your mania for auctions will be the ruin of you yet