without speaking, crossed the shop, and administered a sound box on her
brother's ear. "Take that, and let me ketch you agen layin' low when my
back's turned, to put on your store pants."

"The others had fetched away in the laig," said the boy, opposing a knee
and elbow at acute angle to further attack.

"You jest get and change 'em," said Minty.

The sudden collapse of the bellows broke in upon the soothing refrain of
Mr. Sharpe, and caused him to turn also.

"It's Minty," he said, replacing the horseshoe on the coals, and setting
his powerful arms and the sledge on the anvil with an exaggerated
expression of weariness.

"Yes; it's me," said Minty, "and Creation knows it's time I DID come, to
keep that boy from ruinin' us with his airs and conceits."

"Did ye bring over any o' that fever mixter?"

"No. Bradley sez you're loading yerself up with so much o' that bitter
bark--kuinine they call it over there--that you'll lift the ruff off
your head next. He allows ye ain't got no ague; it's jest wind and
dyspepsy. He sez yer's strong ez a hoss."

"Bradley," said Sharpe, laying aside his sledge with an aggrieved manner
which was, however, as complacent as his fatigue and discontent, "ez one
of them nat'ral born finikin skunks ez I despise. I reckon he began
to give p'ints to his parents when he was about knee-high to Richelieu