“You must keep bees,” said another of the neighbors.
Steve bought two hives at once.
“You must keep chickens,” said another neighbor, a sort of two-edged woman, who dwelt over across the swamp and whose scolding voice could be heard for miles.
So Steve bought thirteen hens and a rooster.
“You must have a cow,” said a fourth neighbor, and he promptly sold Steve a cantankerous beast that wanted to rival him in authority, and indeed for a time ran the place.
“You must have a cat,” said an old woman who wanted to get rid of an unamiable Thomas, and Steve brought him home in a sack caterwauling all the way.
“You must get a dog,” said a man who had a bull terrier for sale.
“I've got one!” bawled Steve—the man was deaf.
“Bull terrier?”
“No, Scotch! and he's all I want!” and Steve closed the front door with needless vigor.