"'Here!' says I. 'Now you sit down again; don't you do anything of
the sort--you ain't fit.'

"He put his hand on my shoulder and hobbled his weight off the game
leg.

"'Reddy, I was sitting there thinking when you came in--thinking of
how comfortable it was to be in an easy-chair with my foot on a
stool, and then I thought, "If the Lord should send me some work to
do, would I be willing?" Now, thanks be to Him! I am willing, and
glad to find myself so, and I do not believe there's any work more
acceptable to Him than the union of young folk who love each other.
Ouch!' says he, as that foot touched the ground. 'Perhaps you'd
better pick me up and carry me bodily.'

"So I did it, the old housekeeper following us with an armful of
things and jawing the both of us--him for a fool and me for a
villain. She was a strong-minded old lady, and I wish I could
remember some of her talk--it was great.

"We went around and got the doctor.

"'Hoo!' says he. 'Is it as bad as that?' I winked at Father Slade.

"'It's a plenty worse than that,' says I; 'you won't know the half
of it till you get down there.'

"But of course we had to tell him, and he was tickled. Funny what
an interest everybody takes in these happenings. He wanted all the
details.