ouraging. Miss Patience colored and simpered a little.

"Land sake!" she exclaimed. "Whoever told you such rubbish as that?
Besides," with downcast eyes, "I guess no man would ever want me."

"Oh, I don't know." The Captain moved uneasily in his chair, as if he
contemplated hitching it nearer to that occupied by his companion.
"I guess there's plenty would be mighty glad to git you. Anyhow,
there's--there's one that--that--I cal'late the fog's thick as ever,
don't you?"

But Miss Patience didn't mean to give up in this way.

"What was it you was goin' to say?" she asked, by way of giving the
bashful one another chance.

"I was goin' to say, Pashy, that--that--I asked if you thought the fog
was as thick as ever."

"Oh, dear me! Yes, I s'pose likely 'tis," was the discouraged answer.

"Seems to me I never see such weather for this time of year. The ice
is all out of the bay, and there ain't a bit of wind, and it's warm as
summer, pretty nigh. Kind of a storm-breeder, I'm afraid."

"Well, I'm glad you're here to keep me comp'ny. I've never been sole
alone in this house afore, and I should be dreadful lonesome if you
hadn't come." This was offered as a fresh bait.

"Pashy, I've got somethin' I wanted to ask you. Do you think you
could--er--er--"

"What, Perez?"

"I wanted to ask you"--the Captain swallowed several times--"to ask
you--What in the nation is that?"

"Oh, that's nothin' only the hens squawkin'. Go on!"

"Yes, but hens don't squawk this time of night 'thout they have some
reason to. It's that fox come back; that's what 'tis."

Miss Patience, earlier in the evening, had related a harrowing tale of
the loss of two of Mrs. Mayo's best Leghorns that had gone to furnish a
Sunday meal for a marauding fox. As the said Leghorns were the pride of
the old lady's heart, even the impending proposal was driven from Miss
Davis' mind.

"Oh, Perez! you don't s'pose 'tis the fox, do you?"

"Yes, MA'AM, I do! Where's the gun?"

"There 'tis, behind the door, but there ain't a mite of shot in the
house. Abner's been goin' to fetch some from the store for I don't know
how long, but he's always forgot it."

"Never mind. I'll pound the critter with the butt. Come quick, and bring
a lamp."

The noise in the henyard continued, and when they opened the door it was
louder than ever.

"He's in the henhouse," whispered Miss Patience. "He must have gone in
that hole at the side that had the loose board over it."