Uncle Ike Pettengill had been a successful business man in Boston, but at the age of sixty had wearied of city life, and decided to spend the rest of his days in the country.  Despite the objections of his wife and two grown up daughters, he sold out his business, conveyed two-thirds of his property to his wife and children, and invested the remaining third in an annuity, which gave him sufficient income for a comfortable support.  He did not live at the Pettengill house, but in a little two-roomed cottage or cabin that he had had built for him on the lower road, about halfway between Mason’s Corner and Eastborough Centre.  A short distance beyond his little house, a crossroad, not very often used, connected the upper and lower roads.  Uncle Ike had a fair-sized library, read magazines and weekly papers, but never looked at a daily newspaper.  His only companions were about two hundred hens and chickens and a big St. Bernard dog which he had named “Swiss,” after his native land.

The other residents of the Pettengill homestead were two young men named Jim and Bill Cobb, who aided Ezekiel in his farm work, and Mandy Skinner, the “help,” who was in reality the housekeeper of the establishment.  Jim and Bill Cobb were orphans, Jim being about twenty-one and Bill three years older.  When young they resembled each other very closely, for this reason they had been nicknamed “Cobb’s Twins,” and the name had clung to them, even after they had reached manhood.

Mandy Skinner was about twenty-three, and was the only child of Malachi and Martha Skinner.  Her father was dead, but her mother had married again and was now Mrs. Jonas Hawkins, the proprietor of Mrs. Hawkins’s boarding house, which was situated in the square opposite Hill’s grocery, and about a quarter of a mile from the top of Mason’s Hill.  Mandy had a double burden upon her shoulders.  One was the care of such a large house and family, and the other was the constant necessity of repelling the lover-like hints and suggestions of Hiram Maxwell, who was always ready and willing to overlook his work at Deacon Mason’s so that he could run down and see if Mandy wanted him to do anything for her.

Hill’s grocery was owned and carried on by Benoni Hill and his son Samuel.  Their residence was on the easterly edge of the town, being next to the one occupied by old Ben James, who was a widower with one daughter, Miss Matilda James.

About a quarter of a mile east of Hill’s grocery was the village church, presided over by the Rev. Caleb Howe.  He had one son, Emmanuel, who had graduated at Harvard and had intended to fit for the ministry, but his health had failed him and he had temporarily abandoned his studies.  He was a great admirer of Miss Lindy Putnam, because, as he said, she was so pretty and accomplished.  But after long debate one evening at the grocery store, it had been decided without a dissenting vote that “the minister’s son was a lazy ‘good-for-nothing’,