bright November fire, while his busy
helpmate was industriously rattling her knitting needles by his side.

A close observer might have suspected that this was _no news_ to the
good deacon, who had given a great deal of good advice, in private, to
Master Joseph of late; but he only relaxed his features into a quiet
smile, and ejaculated, "I want to know!"

"Yes; and railly, deacon, that 'ere gal is a rail pretty un. I was a
tellin' my folks that our new minister's wife was a fool to her."

"And so your son is going to marry her?" said the good lady; "I knew
that long ago."

"Well--no--not so fast; ye see there's two to that bargain yet. You see,
Joe, he never said a word to me, but took and courted the gal out of his
own head; and when I come to know, says I, 'Joe,' says I, 'that 'ere gal
won't do for me;' and I took and tell'd him, then, about that 'ere old
fence, and all about that old mill, and them _medder_s of mine; and I
tell'd him, too, about that 'ere lot of Susan's; and I should like to
know, now, deacon, how that lot business is a going to turn out."

"Judge Smith and 'Squire Moseley say that my claim to it will stand,"
said the deacon.

"They do?" said Uncle Jaw, with much satisfaction; "s'pose, then, you'll
sue, won't you?"

"I don't know," replied the deacon, meditatively.

Uncle Jaw was thoroughly amazed; that any one should have doubts about
entering suit for a fine piece of land, when sure of obtaining it, was a
problem quite beyond his powers of solving.

"You say your son has courted the girl," said the deacon, after a long
pause; "that strip of land is the best part of Susan's share; I paid
down five hundred dollars on the nail for it; I've got papers here that
Judge Smith and 'Squire Moseley say will stand good in any court of
law."

Uncle Jaw pricked up his ears and was all attention, eying with eager
looks the packet; but, to his disappointment, the deacon deliberately
laid it into his desk, shut and locked it, and resumed his seat.

"Now, railly," said Uncle Jaw, "I should like to know the particulars."

"Well, well," said the deacon, "the lawyers will be at my house
to-morrow evening, and if you have any concern about it, you may as well
come along."

Uncle Jaw wondered all the way home at what he could have done to get
himself into the confidence of the old deacon, who, he rejoiced to
think, was a going to "take" and go to law like other folks.

The next day there was an appear