ere for a fuss and you can have it, both of you," Bill went
on in unusual eloquence. "Deacon's tried to do the square thing, Emmy's
tried to do the square thing, and Serry's kep' quiet, but you've been
sour and ugly the whole time, and now it's goin' to stop."

"This ain't the last of this thing," said Jim.

"You never'll have a better time," said Bill.

Mrs. Gray and the Deacon turned in now to quiet Bill, and the settlement
went on. Jim kept close watch on the proceedings, and muttered his
dissent to his friends, but was careful not to provoke Bill further.

In dividing the harnesses they came upon a cow-bell hanging on a nail.
The Deacon jingled it as he passed. "Goes with the bell-cow," he said,
and nothing further was said of it. Jim apparently did not consider it
worth quarrelling about.

At last the work was done, a terribly hard day's work. The machines and
utensils were piled in separate places, the cattle separated, and the
grain measured. As they were about to leave, the Deacon said finally:--

"If there's any complaint to make, let's have it right now. I want this
settlement to _be_ a settlement. Is everybody satisfied?"

"I am," said Emmy. "Ain't you, Serry?"

"Why, of course," said Sarah, who was a little slower of speech. "I
think the Deacon has done first rate. I ain't a word of fault to find,
have you, Bill?"

"Nope, not an ioty," said Bill, readily.

Jim did not agree in so many words, but, as he said nothing, the Deacon
ended:--

"Well, that settles it. It ain't goin' to rain, so you can leave these
things right here till Monday. I guess I'll be gettin' out for home.
Good evening, everybody."

Emma drove away down the road with Jim, but Sarah remained to straighten
up the house. Harkey's hired hand went home with Dade Walker who
considered that walk the pleasant finish to a very interesting day's
work. She sympathized for the time with the Harkey faction.

Sunday forenoon, when Bill and Sarah drove up to the farm to put things
in order in the house, they found Ike Harkey walking around with that
queer side glance he had, studying the piles of furniture, and mentally
weighing the pigs.

He greeted them smoothly: "Yes, yes, I'm _purr_fickly satisfied,
_purr_fickly! Not a word to say--better'n I expected," he added.

Bill was not quite keen enough to perceive the insult which lay in that
final clause, and Sarah dared not inform him for fear of trouble.

As Harkey drove away, however, B