a shoestring?" he continued, still looking at the chairs, and evidently
trying to boldly familiarize himself with their contents.

"Are you crazy, father?" demanded Jenny suddenly sitting up with a
portentous switch of her yellow mane. Mr. McClosky rubbed one side of
his beard, which already had the appearance of having been quite worn
away by that process, and faintly dodged the question.

"Jinny," he said, tenderly stroking the bedclothes as he spoke, "this
yer's what's the matter. Thar is a stranger down stairs,--a stranger to
you, lovey, but a man ez I've knowed a long time. He's been here about
an hour; and he'll be here ontil fower o'clock, when the up-stage
passes. Now I wants ye, Jinny dear, to get up and come down stairs, and
kinder help me pass the time with him. It's no use, Jinny," he went on,
gently raising his hand to deprecate any interruption, "it's no use! He
won't go to bed; he won't play keerds; whiskey don't take no effect on
him. Ever since I knowed him, he was the most onsatisfactory critter to
hev round"--

"What do you have him round for, then?" interrupted Miss Jinny sharply.

Mr. McClosky's eyes fell. "Ef he hedn't kem out of his way to-night to
do me a good turn, I wouldn't ask ye, Jinny. I wouldn't, so help me! But
I thought, ez I couldn't do any thing with him, you might come down, and
sorter fetch him, Jinny, as you did the others."

Miss Jenny shrugged her pretty shoulders.

"Is he old, or young?"