e across the open lawn, the close cropping of which
showed that the cows were wont to take their final bite upon it as they
came to the yard at night, they encountered an elderly man carrying a
large jug in one hand and apparently just starting for the fields with
some refreshing drink for the workmen.

"Good morning, sir," said Jim, touching his hat. Bessie smiled and
asked, "Are you the farmer?"

"Wal, yes ma'am; I suppose I am. Leastways I own the farm and get my
living off from it as well as I can--same as my fathers did afore me."

"How lovely! Have you got any old--I mean, can you give us a drink of
water? We--we happen to be passing and we're very thirsty."

"Just as well as not. The well is right behind the house. You can jump
down and help yourselves."

"You don't mean jump down the well," said Jim, laughing.

"Not exactly. Will your horse stand?"

"Oh, yes."

When Bessie saw the old well-sweep, which for some unaccountable reason
had not been swept away by a modern pump, she exclaimed in a stage
whisper: "Wouldn't it be glorious if we could carry it home?"

Jim found the cool water most refreshing and thought he would rather
carry home the well.

"What an enormous wood pile," Bessie continued aloud, in a desperate
endeavor to lead up to andirons by an unsuspicious route. "Do you burn
wood?"

"Not so much as we used to. The women folks think they must have it to
cook with, but we use coal a good deal in the winter."

"Don't you have fireplaces?" was the next innocent question.

"Plenty of 'em in the house, but they're mostly bricked up. It takes
too big a wood pile to keep 'em going."

"So you use stoves instead; I suppose it is less trouble. Oh, and that
reminds me, have you any old andirons, anywhere around?"

"Shouldn't be surprised if there was. Yes, there's one now, hangin' on
the gate right behind you."

Bessie, as she afterwards declared, was almost ready to faint at this
announcement, but on turning to look she saw indeed, hanging by a chain
to keep the gate closed, a dumpy, rusty, cast-iron andiron.

"Should you be willing to sell it for old brass? Isn't there a mate to
it somewhere? They generally go in pairs, don't they?"

"No, I shouldn't want to sell it for old brass, because you see it's
iron. Most likely there was a pair of 'em once, but there's no tellin'
where t'other one is now. Maybe in the suller and maybe in the garret."

"Please could we go up in the garret and look