it.

Sure enough, Josiah Allen had killed a hen, and dressed it ready for me
to brile, but it wuz young and tender, and I knew it wouldn't take long,
so I didn't care.

Good land! I love to humor him, and he knows it. Casper Keeler come in
jest as I wuz a-gettin' supper and I thought like as not he would stay
to supper; I laid out to ask him. But I didn't take no more pains on his
account. No, I do jest as well by Josiah Allen from day to day, as if he
wuz company, or lay out to.

Casper came over on a errent about that buzz saw mill. He wuz in dretful
good spirits, though he looked kinder peaked.

He had jest got home from the city.

It happened dretful curius, but jest at this time Casper Keeler had had
to go to New York on business. He had to sign some papers that nobody
else couldn't sign.

[Illustration: CASPER KEELER.]

His mother had hearn of a investment there that promised to pay dretful
well, so she had took a lot of stock in it, and it had riz right up
powerful. Why the money had increased fourfold, and more too, and Casper
bein' jest come of age, had to go and sign suthin' or other.

Wall, he went round and see lots of sights in New York. His ma's money
that she had left him made him fairly luxurius as to comfort, and he had