"That was it--Sparrow."

"Good land! Emulous Sparrow. Run consider'ble to whiskers and tongue,
didn't he?"

"Why, yes; he did wear a beard. As for tongue--well, he was
conversational, if that's what you mean."

"That's what I mean. If you rode twelve mile with Emulous, you must have
had an earache for the last six. Did he ask a question or two about your
personal affairs, here and there between times?"

Mr. Ellery laughed.

"Yes, one or two, between times," he admitted.

"I shan't die of surprise. Did you tell him who you was?"

"No-o, to be honest, I didn't. He was so very anxious to find out,
that--well, I dodged. I think he believed I was going to visit Captain
Daniels."

"Good enough! If I was governor of this state I wouldn't send any
Thanksgivin' proclamations down this way. I'd just write Em Peters and
Didama Rogers and a couple more like them and save myself the trouble.
They'd have all I wanted to proclaim spread from one end of the county
to the other in less'n a day, and a peck or two of extrys pitched in
for good measure. I'm awful glad you didn't tell Emulous you was the
minister. You see, Trumet's Trumet, and, considerin' everything, maybe