whole township, had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Stephen
was away at the time, having taken Rufus to Portland, where an operation on
his eyes would shortly be performed at the hospital, and one of the neighbors
was sleeping at the River Farm and taking care of the cattle; still the house
might not have been saved but for one of Alcestis Crambry's sudden bursts of
common sense, which occurred now quite regularly. He succeeded not only in
getting the horses out of the stalls, but gave the alarm so promptly that the
whole neighborhood was soon on the scene of action. Stephen was the only man,
Mite reminded Rose, who ever had any patience with, or took any pains to
teach, Alcestis, but he never could have expected to be rewarded in this
practical way. The barn was only partly insured; and when she had met Stephen
at the station next day, and condoled with him on his loss, he had said: "Oh,
well, Mite, a little more or less does n't make much difference just now."

"The rest would n't interest you, Mrs. Brooks," said Rose, precipitately
preparing to leave the room.

"Something about Claude, I suppose," ventured that astute lady. "I think Mite
kind of fancied him. I don't believe he ever gave her any real encouragement;
but he'd make love to a pump, Claude Merrill would, and so would his father
before him. How my sister Abby made out to land him we never knew, for they
said he'd proposed to every woman in the town of Bingham, not excepting the
wooden Indian girl in front of the cigar-store, and not one of 'em but our
Abby ever got a chance to name the day. Abby was as set as the everlastin'
hills, and if she'd made up her mind to have a man he could n't wriggle away
from her nohow in the world. It beats all how girls do run after these
slick-haired, sweet-tongued, Miss Nancy kind o' fellers, that ain't but little
good as beaux an' worth less than nothing as husbands."

Rose scarcely noticed what Mrs. Brooks said, she was too anxious to read the