have to go outside every time she wants to turn around--_he-he!_ By
granny--two trunks, to one woman! Have some pop, Kenneth, on me.

"The boys are talkin' about a shivaree t'-night. On the quiet, y' know.
Some of 'em's workin' on a horse fiddle now, over in the lumber yard.
Wanted me to play a coal-oil can, but I dunno. I'm gittin' a leetle old for
sech doings. Keeps you up nights too much. Man had any sense, he'd marry
and pull outa town. 'Bout fifteen or twenty in the bunch, and a string of
cans and irons to reach clean across the street. By granny, I'm going to
plug m' ears good with cotton when it comes off--_he-he!_ 'Nother bottle of
pop, James."

"Who's running the show, Polycarp?" Kent asked, accepting the glass of soda
because he disliked to offend. "Funny I didn't hear about it."

Polycarp twisted his slit of a mouth knowingly, and closed one slit of an
eye to assist the facial elucidation.

"Ain't funny--not when I tell you Fred De Garmo's handing out the
_in_vites, and he sure aims to have plenty of excitement--_he-he!_
Betcher Manley won't be able to set on the wagon seat an' hold the lines
t'-morrow--not if he comes out when he's called and does the thing
proper--_he-he!_ An' if he don't show up, they aim to jest about pull the
old shebang down over his ears. Hope'll think it's the day of judgment,
sure--_he-he!_ Reckon I might's well git in on the fun--they won't be no
sleepin' within ten mile of the place, nohow, and a feller always sees the
joke better when he's lendin' a hand. Too bad you an' Fred's on the outs,
Kenneth."

"Oh, I don't know--it suits me fine," Kent declared easily, setting down