hain't sech a hound as to steal a flag!"

It was natural that young Riverboro should have red, white, and blue
dreams on the night after the new flag was raised. A stranger thing,
perhaps, is the fact that Abner Simpson should lie down on his hard bed
with the flutter of bunting before his eyes, and a whirl of unaccustomed
words in his mind.

"For it's your star, my star, all our stars together."

"I'm sick of goin' it alone," he thought; "I guess I'll try the other
road for a spell;" and with that he fell asleep.

Seventh Chronicle. THE LITTLE PROPHET

I

"I guess York County will never get red of that Simpson crew!" exclaimed
Miranda Sawyer to Jane. "I thought when the family moved to Acreville
we'd seen the last of em, but we ain't! The big, cross-eyed, stutterin'
boy has got a place at the mills in Maplewood; that's near enough to
come over to Riverboro once in a while of a Sunday mornin' and set in
the meetin' house starin' at Rebecca same as he used to do, only it's
reskier now both of em are older. Then Mrs. Fogg must go and bring back
the biggest girl to help her take care of her baby,--as if there wa'n't
plenty of help nearer home! Now I hear say that the youngest twin has
come to stop the summer with the Cames up to Edgewood Lower Corner."

"I thought two twins were always the same age," said Rebecca,
reflectively, as she came into the kitchen with the milk pail.

"So they be," snapped Miranda, flushing and correcting herself. "But
that pasty-faced Simpson twin looks younger and is smaller than the
other one. He's meek as Moses and the other one is as bold as a brass
kettle; I don't see how they come to be twins; they ain't a mite alike."

"Elijah was always called the fighting twin' at school," said Rebecca,
"and Elisha's other name was Nimbi-Pamby; but I think he's a nice little
boy, and I'm glad he has come back. He won't like living with Mr. Came,
but he'll be almost next door to the minister's, and Mrs. Baxter is sure
to let him play in her garden."

"I wonder why the boy's stayin' with Cassius Came," said Jane. "To be
sure they haven't got any of their own, but the child's too young to be
much use."

"I know why," remarked Rebecca promptly, "for I heard all about it over
to Watson's when I was getting the milk. Mr. Came traded something with
Mr. Simpson two years ago and got the best of the bargain, and Uncle
Jerry says he's the only man that ever did, and he ought to have a
monument