hit. By this time a crowd had gathered about the angry man, and were
asking him what was the matter.

"Matter!" he shrieked, "that black object on the pump gave me impudence!"

"Heigh-O!" cried little Elsa. "How could a cat give thee impudence!"

"Ask him then," said the man. "He can talk like any Christian."

At which the crowd all looked at Tommie, who winked at them and said,
"Does anybody here want to ask me any questions? I'll tell him what he
wants to know in perfect confidence between him and me and the pump. If
my answer pleases him, he can give me a silver piece. If my reply make
his heart go pit-a-pat with joy he can give me a gold piece. If he
doesn't like my answers, he needn't give me anything. Now that's fair,
isn't it?"

Then everybody looked at everybody else, and dropped their jaws and
rubbed their eyes. Nobody stirred for a minute, then a fine young fellow
stepped forward, blushing. This was Carl, the miller's son, who was
straight as a birch-tree, and had blue eyes like deep lakes, and he
walked right up to the pump, and bowed, then he whispered into Tommie's
ear, "Does Lucia love me?"

Tommie winked his right eye and smiled. "Carl," he replied, "get up
your courage and ask her to-day, for she loves you better than anyone
in the world."

Then Carl felt his heart go pit-a-pat, and all the snow wreaths on the
trees seemed to turn to bridal flowers. "Thanks, dear and wise Pussy," he