them critturs myself."

"If you are at all particular about driving them out _yourself_, I can
let them in again," said James.

Uncle Lot looked at him with an odd sort of twinkle in the corner of his
eye.

"'Spose I must ask you to walk in," said he.

"Much obliged," said James; "but I am in a great hurry." So saying, he
started in very business-like fashion towards the gate.

"You'd better jest stop a minute."

"Can't stay a minute."

"I don't see what possesses you to be all the while in sich a hurry; a
body would think you had all creation on your shoulders."

"Just my situation, Uncle Lot," said James, swinging open the gate.

"Well, at any rate, have a drink of cider, can't ye?" said Uncle Lot,
who was now quite engaged to have his own way in the case.

James found it convenient to accept this invitation, and Uncle Lot was
twice as good-natured as if he had staid in the first of the matter.

Once fairly forced into the premises, James thought fit to forget his
long walk and excess of business, especially as about that moment Aunt
Sally and Miss Grace returned from an afternoon call. You may be sure
that the last thing these respectable ladies looked for was to find
Uncle Lot and Master James _tete-a-tete_, over a pitcher of cider; and
when, as they entered, our hero looked up with something of a
mischievous air, Miss Grace, in particular, was so puzzled that it took
her at least a quarter of an hour to untie her bonnet strings. But James
staid, and acted the agreeable to perfection. First, he must needs go
down into the garden to look at Uncle Lot's wonderful cabbages, and then
he promenaded all around the corn patch, stopping every few moments and
looking up with an appearance of great gratification, as if he had never
seen such corn in his life; and then he examined Uncle Lot's favorite
apple tree with an expression of wonderful interest.

"I never!" he broke forth, having stationed himself against the fence
opposite to it; "what kind of an apple tree is that?"

"It's a bellflower, or somethin' another," said Uncle Lot.

"Why, where _did_ you get it? I never saw such apples!" said our hero,
with his eyes still fixed on the tree.

Uncle Lot pulled up a stalk or two of weeds, and threw them over the
fence, just to show that he did not care any thing about the matter; and
then he came up and stood by James.

"Nothin' so remarkable, as I know on," said he.

Just then, Grace came to say that supp