CHAPTER VIII.
CITY SKILL VERSUS COUNTRY MUSCLE.
Hiram Maxwell was not called upon to perform very arduous duties at Deacon Mason's. The Deacon had given up farming several years before, and Hiram's duties consisted in doing the chores about the house. He had plenty of spare time, and he used it by going down to the Pettengill place and talking to Mandy Skinner.
The next morning after the adventure in the barn, Hiram went down as usual after his morning's work was done to see Mandy.
"How do you find things, Mandy?" said Hiram, opening the kitchen door and putting his head in.
"By looking for them," said Mandy, without looking up from her work.
"You are awful smart, ain't you?" retorted Hiram.
Mandy replied, "People's opinion that I think a good deal more of than yours have said that same thing, Mr. Maxwell."
Hiram saw that he was worsted, so he changed the conversation.