a
ten-acre lot," said Holcroft somewhat sternly, "but there is no
occasion to invite the boys, whoever they are, or anyone else. She
doesn't want to be stared at. I was in hopes, Mr. Harkins, that you'd
ride up to the almshouse with us and quietly marry us there."

"Well, I guess you'd better bring her here. I'm pretty busy this
afternoon, and--"

"See here, Ben," said Watterly, taking the justice aside, "Holcroft is
my friend, and you know I'm mighty thick with my friends. They count
more with me than my wife's relations. Now I want you to do what
Holcroft wishes, as a personal favor to me, and the time will come when
I can make it up to you."

"Oh, certainly, Watterly! I didn't understand," replied Harkins, who
looked upon Holcroft as a close and, as he would phrase it, no-account
farmer, from whom he could never expect even a vote. "I'll go with you
at once. It's but a short job."

"Well," said Holcroft, "how short can you make it?"

"Let me get my book," and he took from a shelf the "Justice's
Assistant." "You can't want anything shorter than this?" and he read,
"'By this act of joining hands you do take each other as husband and
wife and solemnly engage in the presence of these witnesses to love and
honor and comfort and cherish each other as such so long as you both
shall live. Therefore, in accordance with the law of the state of New
York I do hereby pronounce you husband and wife.' A sailor couldn't
tie a knot quicker than that."

"I guess you can, justice," said Holcroft, taking the book. "Suppose
you only read this much: 'By this act of joining hands you do take each
other as husband and wife. Therefore, in accordance with the law,
etc.' Would that be a legal marriage?"

"Certainly. You'd have to go to a divorce court to get out of that."

"It's my purpose to keep out of courts of all kinds. I'll thank you to
read just that much and no more. I don't want to say anything that
isn't exactly true."

"You see how it is, Ben. Holcroft hasn't known the woman long, and
she's a nice woman, too, if she is boarding at my hotel. Holcroft
needs a wife--must have one, in fact, to help run his house and dairy.
It wasn't exactly a love match, you know; and he's that kind of a man
that a yoke of oxen couldn't draw a word out of him that he didn't
mean."

"Yes, yes, I see now," said Harkins. "I'll read just what you say and
no more."

"And I'll have a little spread that we can be longer at than t