almly shuffled
into the room, just after the pastor had begun the service and
there was no way of driving him out, the godparents swore to
themselves that once they were home they would take him severely
to task for his unseemly behaviour.

The christening passed off as it should without the slightest
occasion for a mishap, and Jan of Ruffluck had nothing for his
intrusion. Just before the close of the service he opened the door
and quietly slipped out again, into the hallway. He saw of course
that everything seemed to go quite smoothly and nicely without his
help.

In a little while Eric of Falla and his wife also came out into the
hall. They were going across to the kitchen, where the mistress of
Falla had left the child's outer wraps and shawls. Eric went ahead
and opened the door for his wife, whereupon two kittens came
darting into the hallway and tumbled over each other right in front
of the woman's feet, tripping her. She felt herself going headlong
and barely had time to think: "I'm falling with the child; it will
be killed and I'll be heartbroken for life," when a strong hand
seized and steadied her. Looking round she saw that her rescuer was
Jan Anderson of Ruffluck, who had lingered in the hallway as if
knowing he would be needed there. Before she could recover herself
sufficiently to thank him, he was gone.

And when she and her husband came driving home, there stood Jan
digging away. After the accident had been averted, he had felt that
he might safely go back to his work.

Neither Eric nor his wife said a word to him about his unseemly
behaviour. Instead, the mistress of Falla invited him in for
afternoon coffee, muddy and begrimed as he was from working in the
wet soil.

THE VACCINATION BEE

When the little girl of Ruffluck was to be vaccinated no one
questioned the right of her father to accompany her, since that
was his wish. The vaccinating took place one evening late in
August. When Katrina left home, with the child, it was so dark
that she was glad to have some one along who could help her over
stiles and ditches, and other difficulties of the wretched road.

The vaccination bee was held that year at Falla. The housewife had
made a big fire on the hearth in the living-room and thought it
unnecessary to furnish any other illumination, except a thin tallow
candle that burned on a small table, at which the sexton was to
perform his surgical work.

The Ruffluck folk, as well as every one e