ask if that--er--deep-sea gentleman in my tree is a friend of yours?'

"Barbara kind of laughed and dropped her eyes, and said why, yes, I was.

"'By Jove! he's luckier than I thought,' says Allie, never taking his
eyes from her face. 'And what do they call him, please, when they want
him to answer?' That's what he asked, though, mind you, he'd said he
knew who I was when he first saw me.

"'It's Mr. Nickerson,' says Barbara. 'He lives in that house there. The
one this side of ours.'

"'Oh, a neighbor! That's different. Awfully sorry, I'm sure. Prince,
come here. Er--Nickerson, for the lady's sake we'll call it off. You
may--er--vacate the perch.'

"I waited till he'd got a clove-hitch onto Prince. He had to give him
one or two welts over the head 'fore he could do it; the dog acted like
he'd been cheated. Then I pried myself loose from that blessed limb
and shinned down to solid ground. My! but I was b'iling inside.
'Taint pleasant to be made a show afore folks, but 'twas the feller's
condescending what-excuse-you-got-for-living manners that riled me most.

"I picked up what was left of the dreeners and walked over to the fence.
That field was just sowed, as you might say, with clams. If they ever
sprouted 'twould make a tip-top codfish pasture.

"'You see,' says Allie, talking to Barbara; 'the gov'nor told me he'd
been plagued with trespassers, so I thought I'd give 'em a lesson. But
neighbors, when they're scarce as ours are, ought to be friends. Don't