"But you could have helped leaving them unhitched," said Eben. "You know Mr. Antis tells us never to leave any of the horses without hitching, and that team especially. He told us we must always stand by their heads when the cars were coming."
"Well, I wanted to see whether anybody I knew was on the train, and besides, it isn't very pleasant to stand holding a frisky horse for half an hour. Mr. Antis wouldn't like it himself, I guess."
"He would never stop to think whether he liked it or not," said Eben, much disgusted. "I shouldn't think it would be very pleasant, as you say, to think that you had killed a valuable horse, and such a good, kind creature as Billy was, too. Mr. Antis cried about it when he told how the poor fellow tried to lift up his head and whinny as he used to when his master came into the stable."
"More fool he, to cry about a horse," said Tom, brutally; "and besides, I didn't kill him—he killed himself—and I'll thank you not to say I did, unless you want to get up a fight."
"Get up a fight, indeed!" said Eben, in a tone of great contempt. "Don't you know that I could settle you with one hand? And I will, too, if you say any more about Mr. Antis!" added he, exploding all at once, as very quiet and self-restrained people sometimes do. "Get out of this garden and take yourself off. What do you mean by coming here and hindering me?"
"Dear me, Eben you needn't be so touchy!" said Tom, backing off and looking as much astonished as if the old house-dog had suddenly been transformed into a wolf. "I'm sure it is nothing to you; Mr. Antis is no relation of yours, is he?"
"Clear out!" was all the answer Eben vouchsafed him, and Tom took himself off. "I am a fool to mind him, that is a fact," said Eben to himself, "but he is so mean. After all Mr. Antis had done for him, and all the mischief he has done, to talk so about him. I wonder if Mr. Antis will give me his place? I believe I will wait a little, and see whether he says anything about it. I would rather he made the offer himself."
Eben waited for two or three weeks, but Mr. Antis said nothing about the mill, and Eben began to think he was to be disappointed again, when one day, as he was going to break fast, Mr. Antis called him from the office-window:
"Come in, Eben; I want to see you."
Eben obeyed, his heart beating a little faster than usual.