great deal taller than his mother. He had an abiding faith, however,
that some day his mother would grow up and be lots taller than
Minda's mother. He challenged his toddling playmate to deny that
his mother would be as big as hers some day, a lofty taunt that
left Minda quite unmoved.

Nevertheless, he was very fond of "Auntie" Rachel. She was good
to him. She gave him cakes and crullers and spread maple sugar on
many a surreptitious piece of bread and butter, and she had a jolly
way of laughing, and she never told him to wash his hands or face,
no matter how dirty they were. In that one respect, at least, she
was much nicer than his mother. He liked Mr. Carter, too. In fact, he
liked everybody except old Boose, the tin pedlar, who took little
boys out into the woods and left them for the wolves to eat if they
were not very, very good.

He was four when they brought Mr. Carter home in a wagon one day.
Some men carried him into the house, and Aunt Rachel cried, and
his mother went over and stayed a long, long time with her, and
his father got on his horse and rode off as fast as he could go
for Doctor Flint, and he was not allowed to go outside the house
all day,--or old Boose would get him.

Then, one day, he saw "Auntie" Rachel all dressed in black, and he
was frightened. He ran away crying. She looked so tall and scary,---like
the witches Biddy Shay whispered about when his grandma was not
around,--the witches and hags that flew up to the sky on broomsticks
and never came out except at night.

His father did the "chores" for '"Auntie" Rachel for a long time,