ears passed, a touch of
rheumatism gave him a real excuse for laziness, he did little more
than sit by the fire and smoke.

As Armida sat on the bench under the old russet apple-tree by the
back door one day, regretting her evil fate, she heard footsteps
approaching, and, pushing back her old sun-bonnet, looked up to see a
shabby, shambling, oldish man coming around the side of the house and
gazing in at the windows, "What ye doin' there?" said Armida sharply.

The man turned, surveyed her with a smile, then said with a drawl she
remembered: "I hain't been gone so long but that I know ye, Armidy.
Don't you remember me?"

"Theodore Huxter! Is that you? Well!" and she hurried up to him, and
shook hands violently.

"I heard only last week that father was dead," he explained. "I seen a
man from this way, and he said he was gone. How long since?"

"More than ten years ago."

"Well, I thought I'd come and see ye."

"I'm glad you did," she said. "But come right in;" and she led the way
into the kitchen.

He leaned up against the door and surveyed the room. "I should 'a'
s'posed I'd have remembered this room, but what ye done to it? What
hev you got two stoves and two tables and all that for, Armidy?"

Armida told him all, winding up her story with a few tears.

"That accounts for the looks of the outside, I s'pose," was his
only comment. "I thought it was about the queerest I ever see. It's
ridiculous! Why haven't you and Lucas straightened out affairs before
this?"

"I can't, and he can't, I s'pose," she said hopelessly; "and
everything makes it worse. I wouldn't care so much if he hadn't fixed
up the outside the way he did."

"Oh, well now, don't you fret. If I had money--but then I haven't."

"How have you lived sence you left home?" Armida inquired.

"Why, I've had a still, and made essence and peddled it out; but I
sold the still to git money to come here, and it took all I had."

"Well now, Theodore, I wish you'd stay here now you've got round
again," said Armida with great earnestness. "I've worried about you a
sight. I'd be glad to have you, and Lucas would, I know."

To spare a possible rebuff for Theodore, she ran out as she saw
Lucas coming to the house to get his supper, and apprised him of his
brother's arrival, glad to find he shared her pleasure in it. As Lucas
entered the room he shook hands with Theodore, saying, "How are ye?"
to which Theodore responded with "How are you, Lucas?"

Theodo