"Then don't trouble yourself any further," I said, heartily, "for
I'd rather drink from a tin cup than a goblet of pure gold."

"And so'd I," said the old man, reflectively, turning
mechanically, and following me down the path. "'Druther drink out
of a tin--er jest a fruit-can with the top knocked off--er--er--er
a gourd," he added in a zestful, reminiscent tone of voice, that
so heightened my impatient thirst that I reached the spring-house
fairly in a run.

"Well-sir!" exclaimed my host, in evident delight, as I stood
dipping my nose in the second cupful of the cool, revivifying
liquid, and peering in a congratulatory kind of way at the blurred
and rubicund reflection of my features in the bottom of the cup,
"Well-sir, blame-don! ef it don't do a feller good to see you
enjoyin' of it thataway! But don't you drink too much o' the
worter!--'cause there're some sweet milk over there in one o' them
crocks, maybe; and ef you'll jest, kindo' keerful-like, lift off
the led of that third one, say, over there to yer left, and dip
you out a tinful er two o' that, w'y, it'll do you good to drink
it, and it'll do me good to see you at it--But hold up!--hold up!"
he called, abruptly, as, nowise loath, I bent above the vessel
designated. "Hold yer hosses fer a second! Here's Marthy; let her
git it fer ye."

If I was at first surprised and confused, meeting the master of
the house, I was wholly startled and chagrined in my present
position before its mistress. But as I arose, and stammered, in my
confusion, some incoherent apology, I was again reassured and put