"There would 'a' been," said her husband, testily. "There would 'a' been if the Americans had kept on. To think of them beginning to sell out and move furder west--just as they were gettin' their land into shape for havin' some time to themselves to improve things! Thank goodness, they _did_ put up the church and schoolhouse--I guess we'd never have had neither if it wasn't for the American spirit here when this settlement begun." "Sho, Hiram? You can't say but what the German folks keeps the church and schoolhouse going." "Going--yes, going to rack and ruin all the same! Schoolhouse leakin' like sixty--and catch 'em taxin' themselves for a new roof! I wonder Miss Atworth can stay in the place--her and the children mirin' shoe-mouth deep in mud to get to school in the winter! Nary a rod of corduroy will they lay to give their own young ones a decent walk. But they keep their cattle comfortable enough--that means money in their pockets. All they care about is having their corn and stock turn out well. They don't care if the hull township, and the hull Union, too, for that matter, was to go to the dogs. Hello! here comes Jack with the mail-bag!" A little while later Squire Hardy was in the act of distributing the bag's small contents, when two farmers walked in without even stopping to stamp the mud off their cowhide boots. Mrs. Hardy kept on placidly knitting beyond the fireplace; she was used to such invasions of the sitting-room, from which she had removed the carpet soon after the post-office was granted to the sleepy settlement. "Draw up to the fire, Mr. Gates," she said, hospitably. "Take that rocker, Mr. Schmidt." Mr. Gates kicked his feet against the andirons to rid them of clay and snow. "Cold day," he remarked, settling his coon-skin cap more firmly on his head. "What's this I hear about the new teacher?" "Well, what?" snapped the squire, looking around. "Some say she's dead sot on gettin' up them doin's on Washington's Birthday." [Illustration: "MR. GATES KICKED HIS FEET AGAINST THE ANDIRONS"] "Well, s'pose she is?" said the squire. "She ain't askin' nothin' but the schoolhouse for an evening, and I've got power to let her have that. I'm school agent, ain't I?" "I don't say the contrary. But to my way of thinkin', she's just a-wastin' time over a lot of foolishness. Hey, Schmidt?" "Yah, das ist so!" assented the man in the rocking-chair, as he took his pipe from his mouth. "I tolt mein poy I shust dook him oudt of school and put him to voork ven I hear some more of dose grazy idees."