“Did my uncle sell that horse to the farmer?” asked Ray.
“Yes,” said Mr. Pebble, “the bargain was made sitting on this rock and I got in a good load of coal that day.”
“But I don’t see anything to laugh about in that,” exclaimed Ray.
“The farmer that got the horse didn’t either,” cried Mr. Pebble.
Ray was puzzled, but he took up another piece of coal and threw it on the fire. It burned with a beautiful rose-colored flame, and Ray could see two lovers sitting on the rock looking into each other’s eyes.
Suddenly he heard a giggle and then:
“He, he, ha, ha, ha! You are, you know you are!”
Ray was laughing again. “What does it all mean?” he asked.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” said Mr. Pebble, who was almost doubled in two laughing.
“They came here last summer a great deal,” continued the little fellow. “They’re married now and live in the village. I don’t see them so often, but there are others, and I must say they belong to one of the best sources of my coal supply in the world.”