in the belfry; and I knew that, as his wits had been knocked out of him by one blow on the head, so another blow had knocked 'em in again.

"Where's Bob?' says he, looking all around. "Bob?' says I, not thinking at first who he meant. Oh, Bob is dead-he has been dead these three years.'

"Without noticing my reply, he exclaimed, 'Where did all that hay come from? Where's the old meetin'-house?'

"Don't you know?' says I. 'Some rogues set fire to it the night after you got hurt, and burned it up.'

"He seemed then just beginning to realize that something extraordinary had happened. "Stark,' says he, 'what's the matter with ye? You're changed.'

"'Yes,' says I, 'I wear my beard now, and I've grown older!'

"Dumbed if 't a'n't odd!' says he. 'Stark, what in thunder's the matter with me?'

"You've had meeting-house on the brain for the past four years,' says I; 'that's what's the matter.'

"It was some time before I could make him understand that he had been out of his head, and that so long a time had been a blank to him.

Then he said, 'Is this my farm?' "Don't you know it?' says I.

“That's Lottie practising her lesson on the piano.'

"A pianer in my house?' he muttered. 'I can't stand that!' He listened. 'It sounds pooty though!'

"Yes, it does sound pretty, and I guess you'll like it. How does the place suit you?" "It looks pooty.' He started. What young lady is that?'

"It was Lottie, who had left her music and stood by the window.

"My dahter! ye don't say! Dumbed if she a'n't a mighty nice gal.'

"Yes,' says I; 'she takes after her mother." "Just then Susie, who heard talking, ran to the door.

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Who's that agin?' says Jedwort. "I told him.

"Wal, she's a mighty nice-lookin' gal!' "'Yes,' says I; 'she takes after her mother.' "Little Willie, now eight years old, came out of the wood-shed with a bow and arrow in his hand, and stared like an owl, hearing his father talk.

"What boy is that?' says Jedwort. And when I told him, he muttered, 'He's an ugly looking brat!'

"He's more like his father,' says I.

"The truth is, Willie was such a fine boy the old man was afraid to praise him, for fear I'd say of him, as I'd said of the girls, that he

"Susie ran back and gave the alarm, and then out came mother, and Maria with her baby in her arms-for I forgot to tell you that we had been married now nigh on to two years. "Well, the women-folks were as much as

"Where's Dan?'

"Dan's in college. He takes a great notion to medicine, and we're going to make a doctor of him.'

"Whose house is that?' says he, as I was taking him home.

"No wonder you don't know it,' says I. 'It has been painted, and shingled, and had new blinds put on; the gates and fences are all in prime condition; and that's a new barn we put up a couple of years ago.'

"Where does the money come from to make all these improvements?'

"It comes off the place,' says I. 'We haven't run in debt the first cent for anything, but we've made the farm more profitable than it ever was before.'

"That my house?' he repeated wonderingly as we approached it. 'What sound is that?'

He kept

spoke, and a good deal more delighted. They drew him into the house, and I am bound to say he behaved remarkably well. looking at his wife, and his children, and his grandchild, and the new paper on the walls, and the new furniture, and now and then ask ing a question or making a remark.

"It all comes back to me now,' says he at last. I thought I was living in the moon. with a superior race of human bein's, and this is the place and you are the people.'

"It wasn't more than a couple of days before he began to pry around, and find fault, and grumble at the expense; and I saw there was danger of things relapsing into something like their former condition. So I took him one side, and talked to him.

"Jedwort,' says I, 'you're like a man raised from the grave. You was the same as buried to your neighbours, and now they come and

look at you as they would at a dead man come to life. To you, it's like coming into a new world; and I'll leave it to you now if you don't rather like the change from the old state of things to what you see around you to-day. You've seen how the family affairs go onhow pleasant everything is, and how we all enjoy ourselves. You hear the piano, and like it; you see your children sought after and respected-your wife in finer health and spirits than you've ever known her since the day she was married; you see industry and neatness everywhere on the premises; and you're a beast if you don't like all that. In short, you see that our management is a great deal better than yours; and that we beat you even in the matter of economy. Now, what I want to know is this: whether you think you'd like to fall into our way of living, or return like a hog to your wallow?'

"I don't say but what I like your way of livin' very well,' he grumbled.

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Then,' says I, 'you must just let us go ahead as we have been going ahead. Now's the time for you to turn about and be a respectable man, like your neighbours. Just own up, and say you've not only been out of your head the past four years, but that you've been more or less out of your head the last four-and-twenty years. But say you're in your right mind now, and prove it by acting like a man in his right mind. Do that, and I'm with you-we're all with you. But go back to your old dirty ways, and you go alone. Now I sha'n't let you off till you tell me what you mean to do.'

"Both Jedwort and his wife have gone to that country where meanness and dishonesty have a mighty poor chance-where the only investments worth much are those recorded in the Book of Life. Mrs. Jedwort was rich in that kind of stock; and Jedwort's account, I guess, will compare favourably with that of some respectable people, such as we all know. I tell ye, my friends," continued my fellowtraveller, "there's many a man, both in the higher and lower ranks of life, that 'twould do

a deal of good, say nothing of the mercy 'twould be to their families, just to knock 'em on the head, and make Nebuchadnezzars of 'em-then, after they'd been turned out to grass a few years, let 'em come back again, and see how happy folks have been, and how well they have got along without 'em.

"I carry on the old place now," he added. "The younger girls are married off; Dan's a doctor in the North Village; and as for Dave, he and I have struck ile. I'm going out to look at our property now."

1 Poems. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, & Co. 1872.

look at you as they would at a dead man come to life. To you, it's like coming into a new world; and I'll leave it to you now if you don't rather like the change from the old state of things to what you see around you to-day. You've seen how the family affairs go onhow pleasant everything is, and how we all enjoy ourselves. You hear the piano, and like it; you see your children sought after and respected-your wife in finer health and spirits than you've ever known her since the day she was married; you see industry and neatness everywhere on the premises; and you're a beast if you don't like all that. In short, you see that our management is a great deal better than yours; and that we beat you even in the matter of economy. Now, what I want to know is this: whether you think you'd like to fall into our way of living, or return like a hog to your wallow?'

"I don't say but what I like your way of livin' very well,' he grumbled.

"Then,' says I, 'you must just let us go ahead as we have been going ahead. Now's the time for you to turn about and be a respectable man, like your neighbours. Just own up, and say you've not only been out of your head the past four years, but that you've been more or less out of your head the last four-and-twenty years. But say you're in your right mind now, and prove it by acting like a man in his right mind. Do that, and I'm with you-we're all with you. But go back to your old dirty ways, and you go alone. Now I sha'n't let you off till you tell me what you mean to do.'

"He hesitated some time, then said, 'Maybe you're about right, Stark; you and Dave and the old woman seem to be doin' pooty well, and I guess I'll let you go on.'

Here my friend paused, as if his story was done; when one of the villagers asked, "About the land where the old meetin'-house stoodwhat ever was done with that?"

"That was appropriated for a new schoolhouse, and there my little shavers go to school." "And old Jedwort, is he alive yet?"

"Both Jedwort and his wife have gone to that country where meanness and dishonesty have a mighty poor chance-where the only investments worth much are those recorded in the Book of Life. Mrs. Jedwort was rich in that kind of stock; and Jedwort's account, I guess, will compare favourably with that of some respectable people, such as we all know. I tell ye, my friends," continued my fellowtraveller, "there's many a man, both in the higher and lower ranks of life, that 'twould do

a deal of good, say nothing of the mercy 'twould be to their families, just to knock 'em on the head, and make Nebuchadnezzars of 'em-then, after they'd been turned out to grass a few years, let 'em come back again, and see how happy folks have been, and how well they have got along without 'em.

"I carry on the old place now," he added. "The younger girls are married off; Dan's a doctor in the North Village; and as for Dave, he and I have struck ile. I'm going out to look at our property now."