deeply.

"Second thing, told," said he.

"Well, I'm much obliged to you. Items of gossip are victuals and drink
to our sex, you know. Don't be in a hurry," she continued, seeing that
he showed no signs of going. "Looking for your hat? Yes, here it is. Let
me put it on for you," she added in her gentle, winning way. "Good-by.
To think," she added, looking after him, "that the old pill should get
spoony on _me_!"

Sure enough, in the afternoon up drove BELINDA.

"Awful glad to see you, ANN dear," said she, kissing her. "I'm dying to
know all about it. As soon as I found out where you were, I rushed out
and hitched up the old mare myself. But I knew she'd never go so far
from home without an object in view to urge her. So I fastened a bag of
oats in front of her head. Didn't she just streak it? The idea of her
chasing them oats five miles before she caught 'em! She's out there now
eating 'em, propped up by a couple of fence-rails. But tell me, quick,
are you really married, as you said you'd be in that letter you left on
my wash-stand?"

"Yes, I am," replied ANN.

"Where's your husband? Who is he? Do tell me all about it. Does he look
like anybody I know?"

"Well, I should say he did." answered ANN, grinning. "You see it's a
sort of a joke, BELINDA. You wouldn't see the point now, half as well as