"Certainly it's me, Anthony," said the woman; "who else should it be?"

Cousin Maria was a tall woman, dressed in black. She had gray hair and
wore spectacles. She seemed very glad to see Tony, and shook hands with
him warmly.

"I didn't know you lived here," said Tony.

"Well, I don't live here, exactly," said Cousin Maria; "but come in and
sit awhile. You've been a-huntin', have you?"

"Well, yes," said Tony, "I am a-huntin'."

Without mentioning that he had some friends outside, Tony went in and
sat down to talk with Cousin Maria. The man in front of the house had
stepped to one side when the door opened, and the others were out of
sight, of course.

Tony entered a small sitting-room, into which the front door opened, and
took a seat by Cousin Maria.

"You see," said she, "old Billy Simpson let this house fur a hundred
dollars--there's eighty acres with it--to Sarah Ann Hemphill and her
husband; and he's gone to Richmond to git stock for a wheelwright's
shop. That's his trade, you know; and they're goin' to have the shop
over there in the wagon-house, that can be fixed up easy enough ef Sam
Hemphill chooses to work at it, which I don't believe he will; but he
_can_ work, ef he will, and this is just the place for a wheelwright's
shop, ef the right man goes into the business; and they sold their two
cows--keeping only the red-and-white heifer. I guess you remember that