“Much obliged to you for your visit, Mr. Brown,” said he, as he mounted the steps that led to the porch. “So George was the one that stole my Plymouth Rocks, an’ cut up all them other shines, was he? I’m glad I found it out afore I spoke to the selectmen about havin’ him bound out to me, for now I can save the cost of havin’ the papers drawn up. I’ll go home an’ speak to Polly Ann, an’ then I’ll ride up to the lake an’ have another talk with George. I guess he will listen to me this time.”
Having made sure that all the doors and windows were securely fastened, Uncle Ruben mounted his horse and set out for home.
At the end of a quarter of an hour, the fast-walking clay-bank carried him through an open gate and past the back door of a thrifty farmhouse.
On the porch stood his wife, who looked surprised, and gave a somewhat incoherent reply to his cheerful greeting.
On ordinary occasions, Uncle Ruben was not an agreeable person to have about the house. He was always sullen and morose, unless he had been fortunate in some way, and then he had a smile and a pleasant word for everybody.
“Your father is in luck to-day, Sally,” said Mrs. Edwards, as she went into the kitchen to assist her daughter with the dinner that was ready to be served up. “I know when he has made a good trade as well as he knows it himself.”
“Well, then,” replied Sally, joyously, “he must give me money enough to buy one of them new hats I seen down in the village t’other day. I can tell him that much.”
Having put the clay-bank in his stall and performed his ablutions at the horse-trough in the barn-yard, Uncle Ruben came in and announced that he was ready for dinner.
While he was seated at the table, he talked about almost every subject except the one that was uppermost in his mind—to tell the truth, he stood a little in awe of his wife, and dreaded the explosion which he knew would follow when he spoke of his nephew, and told of the arrangements he had decided to make with him—and it was not until he had got up from his chair and put on his hat that he said to her:
“By the way, Polly Ann, I guess you might as well do a little something t’wards fixin’ up that bed in the garret, for I shall most likely bring a boy home with me to-night.”