"Don't you say nothin' like that to me, Orrin Petty!" flared his wife. "There's paupers on your side of the family, too," and she glanced significantly at Pearl. The girl was too used to such unkind remarks to take open offense. "Besides," added Sarah Petty with hesitation, "Uncle Jonah Hand might make some trouble for us, Orrin. I dunno. Where is he, Pearl?" "He just stepped down to Cap'n Abe's store to buy him some snuff." "Faugh! I might ha' knowed he'd be a nasty, old sailor, full o' filthy habits." "Well," drawled Master Tom, who was a lout of a youth several years older than Pearl, "I reckon Pop and I can set his chist out in the lane, if you say so, Marm." "I--I dunno's that's best," said the woman, again strangely uncertain for so assured a character. She turned sharply upon Pearl, whose ears might be more acute than she cared to have them for the moment. "Take that clothes-basket into the storeroom. It's little you've been doing to-day, I can see, you good-for-nothing. Not a scrap of the wash as yet ironed. And you flaunting that new dress. Hurry back, now, and draw the tea. I'm famished for a cup." She gave her attention swiftly to the two men as soon as Pearl left the room. "This Uncle Jonah, now," she hissed. "You remember well enough, Orrin. I told you all about it when father died and I fell heir to what he had. The money I got from him just about paid for the building of this house." "Wal, ye needn't throw it up to me so often. I know it," Orrin said glumly enough. "I'm talking about Jonah Hand now," snapped his wife. "He lent father a power of money years and years ago. It was two thousand dollars. Uncle Jonah had just sold his sheer in the _Wildwind_ brig. Father put his name on a rascal's note an' got into trouble. Father was dreadful easy that-a-way, an' I guess Uncle Jonah was like him. "Anyway, Jonah Hand lent him the two thousand without a written scrap of paper between 'em. But afterward father was silly enough to send Uncle Jonah his note for the amount. He never paid no interest to Uncle Jonah, and Uncle Jonah never presented the note for payment; but if it's in existence yet he might ask for an accounting of father's estate." "Goshamighty!" ejaculated Orrin. "That note wouldn't be good in law after this time," squealed Tom hopefully. "You don't know that," snarled his father. "That's only one of your smart-Aleck sayings." "Anyway," said Sarah Petty, wringing her hands on her narrow knees, "he could make it awful unpleasant for us if he wanted to--Uncle Jonah could. Ev'rybody would know about it. What would your A'nt Apollo Heath say, Orrin? And Enoch Petty, he that's a State legislator? No, no! 'Twill never do to get the ill will of Uncle Jonah." "What are you going to do, then, Marm?" asked the curious Tom.