“Oh, Mrs. Mason kept me informed of your actions,” said Alice with a laugh.

Halfway to Hill’s grocery they passed the Professor and Abner walking home to Mrs. Hawkins’s boarding house.  They called out, “Good night and pleasant dreams,” and drove rapidly on.  In the Square a number of the party had stopped to say good night again before taking the various roads that diverged from it, and another interchange of “Good nights” followed.

When Strout and Abner reached the Square it was deserted.  There was no light shining in the boarding house.  The kerosene lamps and matches were on a table in the front entry.  Strout lighted his lamp and went upstairs.  Strout’s room was one flight up, while Abner’s was up two.  As they reached Strout’s room he said, “Come in, Abner, and warm up.  Comin’ out of that hot room into this cold air has given me a chill.”  He went to a closet and brought out a bottle, a small pitcher, and a couple of spoons.  “Have some rum and molasses, nothin’ better for a cold.”

They mixed their drinks in a couple of tumblers, which Strout found in the closet.  Then he took a couple of cigars from his pocket and gave one to Abner.  They drank and smoked for some time in silence.

At last Abner said, “How are you satisfied with this evenin’s perceedin’s?”

“Wall, all things considered,” said Strout, “I think it was the most successful party ever given in this ’ere town, if I did do it.”

“That’s so,” responded Abner sententiously.  “Warn’t you a bit struck up when that city feller come in?”

“Not a bit,” said Strout.  “You know when I come back, you see it was so cussed hot, yer know I said it was the heat, but I knew they wuz there.  Mrs. Mason, told me.”

“Did she?” asked Abner, with wide-opened eyes.  “I thought it was one on you.”

“When I went down to the road before the bugle was blown,” said Strout, “Mrs. Mason told me they was there.  You see, Huldy didn’t suspect nothin’ about the party and so she asked them over to tea.  She sorter expected they would go right after tea, but they got singin’ songs and tellin’ stories, and Huldy saw they had come to stay.”

“But,” said Abner, “that city feller must have known all about it aforehand or how could he git that cake and frozen stuff down from Bosting so quick?”

“Didn’t you say,” said Strout, “that you seen them going over to Eastborough Centre about five o’clock?”

“Yes,” replied Abner, “but how did he know when it was?  Some one must have told him, I guess.”

“There are times, Abner Stiles,” exclaimed Strout, “when you are too almighty inquisitive.”

“Wall, I only wanted to know, so I could tell the truth when folks asked me,” said Abner.

“That’s all right,” said Strout.  “Cuddent you guess who told him?  ’Twas that Hiram Maxwell.  I’ve been pumping him about the city chap, and of course, I’ve had to tell him somethin’ for swaps.  But to-morrow when I meet him I’ll tell him I don’t want anythin’ more to do with a tittle-tattle tell-tale like him.”