suddint," said he. "But I can tell you one thing: there ain't a-
goin' to be any such doin's in my house. If you choose to come
over here to sleep, and give up your house to any woman you can
find to take care of the little gal, all right. But the
thing can't be done here."

There was a certain severity in these remarks, but they
appeared to affect Captain Eli very pleasantly.

"Well," said he, "if you're satisfied, I am. I'll agree to
any plan you choose to make. It doesn't matter to me which house
it's in, and if you say my house, I say my house. All I want is
to make the business agreeable to all concerned. Now it's time
fer me to go to my dinner, and this afternoon we'd better go and
try to get things straightened out, because the little gal, and
whatever woman comes with her, ought to be at my house to-morrow
before dark. S'posin' we divide up this business: I'll go and
see Mrs. Crumley about the little gal, and you can go and see
Mrs. Trimmer."

"No, sir," promptly replied Captain Cephas, "I don't go to
see no Mrs. Trimmer. You can see both of them just the same as
you can see one--they're all along the same way. I'll go cut the
Christmas tree."

"All right," said Captain Eli. "It don't make no difference
to me which does which. But if I was you, cap'n, I'd cut a good
big tree, because we might as well have a good one while we're
about it."