“G’lang there!  G’lang I say!

“Well, fust ye won’t stop, an’ then ye won’t budge!  I vaow I never see a pair er critters like ye, ‘cept my wife an’ cousin Sabriny!”

When at last the pair concluded to move, they started forward with a most surprising lurch, and Jabez Brimblecom found his hands full in guiding the plough, and the two horses who, having decided to bestir themselves, tramped diligently back and forth, leaving the long rows of furrowed earth as evidence of their willingness to work when their ambition was aroused.

Again they stopped to rest and again Mr. Brimblecom fumbled in his pocket for the envelope, but he did not take it out.

“Why didn’t she write the letter ‘stead er gittin’ that husband er hern ter write fer her?  I’d ‘nough rather she’d told Mis’ Brimblecom she wuz comin’, ‘stead er leavin’ me ter tell her.  She’ll be mad’s a hornet, an’ I vaow I won’t blame her.

“G’lang there!  Wal, I’ll be switched if she isn’t comin’ daown ter the bars naow.  Wonder what’s up?”

“Jabez!  Jabez! Ja—­bez!”

“All right, I’ll be there,” was the answer, but in an aside he remarked apparently to the horses,

“’F I git my courage up, I’ll tell her ’baout Sabriny naow and be done with it;” but his bravery was not put to the test.  Before he could reach the bars where his wife stood waiting, she cried out vehemently, “Jabez Brimblecom, what do ye think?  Mis’ Hodgkins used ter know yer cousin Sabriny when they both wuz girls, an’ she says she’s jest got a letter a sayin’ that Sabriny’s comin’ here ter make er long visit.  She’s goin’ ter spend two weeks with Mis’ Hodgkins, an’ all the rest er the summer with us.  Jabez, I’d rather heerd of er cyclone a hittin’ us, fer ye well know that there’ll be no peace ’til she packs an’ starts fer home.”

“I know it, I know it,” Jabez answered, with feeling.

“I got er letter in my pocket, an’ I been hatin’ ter show it to ye, but mebbe ye might as well read it and make what ye can out’n it.”

Mrs. Brimblecom wiped her glasses and commenced to read the letter.

“Naow what’s the use’n his talkin’ baout the ‘wonderful mountain air,’ an’ the ‘sparklin’ springs,’ an’ er sayin’ that they’ll do such a sight fer Sabriny?

“We know what the air is, an’ fer that matter, so does she; she’s allus lived here.  An’ as ter the springs; she never so much as looked at ’em when she was here before, but she spent a lot er time tellin’ me how she couldn’t sleep on my corded beds.  She said she had ter sleep on springs an’ I was baout tired a hearin’ tell of our short comin’s; an’ I told her if springs was necessary to her well-bein’, she’d no doubt be best off ter hum where she’d been braggin’ she had plenty of ’em.”

“I didn’t blame ye fer gittin’ riled,” said Jabez, “but I s’pose we’ll hev ter welcome her, even if we’re driven ter speed her departur;” and they both laughed good-naturedly, and mentally decided to make the best of the self-invited guest.