"Gueth not, Marm," he lisped back cheerily. "I never cared for shooth
mythelf."

He was always shouting across the way to inquire if "thith wath hot
enough or cold enough to thute me?" As if I had expressed a strong
desire for phenomenal extremes of temperature. One morning he suddenly
departed. I met him trudging along with three hats jammed on to his head
and a rubber coat under his arm, for 'twas a fine day.

"Why, Hanny!" I exclaimed, "where are you going in such haste?"

"Mithter Kibby told me to go to Halifax, and--I'm going!"

Next, the man who was anxious to go into partnership with me. He would
work my farm at halves, or I could buy his farm, cranberry bog, and
woodland, and he would live right on there and run that place at halves;
urged me to buy twelve or fourteen cows cheap in the fall and start a
milk route, he to be the active partner; then he had a chance to buy a
lot of "essences" cheap, and if I'd purchase a peddling-wagon, he'd put
in his old horse, and we'd go halves on that business, or I could buy up
a lot of calves or young pigs and he'd feed 'em and we'd go halves.

But I will not take you through my entire picture-gallery, as I have two
good stories to tell you before saying good-by.

Depressing remarks have reached me about my "lakelet," which at first
was ridiculed by every one. The struggle of evolution from the "spring
hole" was severe and protracted. Experts were summoned, their estimates
of cost ranging from four hundred to one thousand dollars, and no one