a little widder who lives across the rode cum to-day to call upon the family. she brung along wid her a yung thing swate enuff to ate. they cum driving up behind a pare of spanking horses and drov up under the port coshare. mr. james was cutting his milincoly lon, and he niver looked up at all.

the younger one called to him swately.

“will you hold the horses, plase.”

mr. james pushed back his hat and glared like he wad bite her.

“i beg your pardin” ses she and the widder begins to larf and closed up her parrysol. joost then mr. john cum round from the back of the house. he lucks very straynge and funny, being in overalls, his spicticles poysed on the tip of his nose, his hair standing opp where his fingers have been running through it. its a turrible tax the poor gintleman has been doing. shure hes been all day digging up the seeds which i carefully mixed and planted. the ladies in the carriage try to stop larfing and the yunger one joomps out.

“is mrs. wolley at home” ses she.

miss claire laves her floury hidge and dood, and wint running forward, wid her little muddy hands hild out. i seesed hauld of an aprun on the line and tied it on me. thin i wint to anser the dure. miss claire is leeding them on to the veranda.

“i’m miss wolley” ses she, “you find us all ingaged at our respictuf toyle. my brother james cuts the grass, john’s the vigitable gardiner, and i rayse swate flours——”

“what fun!” ses the widder clasping her hands, “how perfeckly deliteful. it mus be just like playing, is’nt it,” and she turned her big black eyes on mr. john.

“will ye walk inside” ses i, braking in here, “mrs. wolley will be down in a moment. shes not well, but she’s for seeing you. joost have a seet, she ses.”

“o lets sit out here!” ses the widder. “you were talking of your gardin?” ses she turning to mr. john wid a smile.

“—er yes” ses he. “but i’m a mere noviss. do you understand anything about the art?”

“do i?” ses she, sitting in the saftest veranda chare, “why i’ve a reppytashun in the poynt for me vigitibles. have’nt i una?” and she appealed to her frind, who has just infarmed mr. james that sumtimes she cuts her papa’s lons wid her own fare hands, jest for exsysise.

“yes” ses miss una, nodding her pretty hed, “why” ses she “theres a sertin kind of turnip nown to fame as the widdy jane.”

“una!” ses the widder larfing, “but relly” ses she turning back to mr. john agin “i manage my own little farm all mesilf.”

i let mrs. wolley out thru the fly dure and thin the auld gintleman wint out, also wid his face red and shining from the quick shave he’s given it. they all torked and larfed and thin finully got up to go. thin miss claire asks carelessly.

“and hoo are our naybours on this side?” and she intercated the doods place.

“have’nt they called on you yet” arsks the widder.

mrs. wolley frowned a bit, but miss claire ses swately:

“oh yes one of the suns called.”

“one of the suns!” ses the widder, “why harry’s the only child. una here,” ses she, smiling “can tell you all about him.”

“i!” ses miss una, opening her brown eyes wide, “o yes” ses she “harry and i yused to be sweet on aich other senturies ago. hes a deer boy” ses she, “and you’ll meet his mother soon i suppose, and old s. judd dudley.”

mr. wolley and mr. james both bounced up in their seets. the auld gintleman conthrolled himsilf.

“pardon me, my deer” ses he “but did i oonderstand you to say our naybour’s name was dudley—s. judd dudley?”

“yes” ses she “the famiss s. judd. youve herd of him of coorse.”

“i have” ses mr. wolley slowly, and the hole family looked at aich uther strayngely.