“Well, we mogged along till we come to Miss Piggins’s house, and they went up and rapped on the door. Binney and I walked past, and then come back over the side fence and got under the parlor window, because we knew Miss Piggins would take them in there like she always does partic’lar company. I guess maybe there’s three or four folks gets into that parlor in a year. She’s awful choice of it. Anyhow, she took Wiggamore in, and we could hear plain what was said, on account of her bein’ deef and Wiggamore and his man havin’ to holler. Miss Piggins always hollers, anyhow, so we was safe to hear all that was said: “‘Miss Piggins,’ says Wiggamore, as loud as he could beller, ‘we’ve come about that land across the river.’ “‘Hand across the river?’ says she. ‘What _be_ you talkin’ about, anyhow? Hand, did you say?’ “‘Land,’ says Wiggamore, ’most bustin’ his throat. “‘Meadow,’ says his friend, yellin’ louder than he did. “‘Widow?’ says Miss Piggins. ‘I hain’t no widow. I’m a old maid and I’m proud of it. ’Tain’t ’cause I _have_ to be, neither. I’ve had chances enough, goodness knows, but I hain’t never seen the man that I’d work and slave for the way wimmin does.’ “She was goin’ on at a great rate, gettin’ up more steam every minute, and Wiggamore and his friend was lookin’ at each other like they wanted to up and hit somebody with a club. But they couldn’t stop her. She was gettin’ things off’n her mind about men, and she was bound to git ’em off. I’ll bet she went on for fifteen minutes without takin’ a breath. Then she stopped up sudden and says, ‘What was you wantin’ to see me about?’ “‘Your land,’ says Wiggamore so’s you could’a’ heard him to Sunfield. “‘My hand? What about my hand?’ Then she sort of giggled and lopped her head over and acted like a kitten that sees a mouse, only don’t want to let on it sees it. ‘Why,’ says she, ‘I don’t hardly know you, and I hain’t had sich a thought in my mind. ’Tain’t scarcely usual to come askin’ for a lady’s hand with company along,’ says she. “‘Sufferin’ mackerel!’ says Wiggamore. ‘She thinks I’m wanting to marry her!’ Then he got up and walked over to her real close and yelled in her ear. “‘I’m married,’ says he. ‘I’ve a wife.’ “‘Oh,’ says she. ‘It’s your friend, eh? What’s his name? How come he to want to marry me?’ “‘He doesn’t,’ says Wiggamore. ‘We came to talk business. We want to buy your little farm across the river.’ “‘My arm across the river? Be you crazy? My arm hain’t long enough to go across no river.’ “‘Farm,’ says Wiggamore. ‘Land. Pasture. Meadow.’ “‘Oh!’ says she. “‘We want to buy it,’ says Wiggamore. “‘It hain’t for sale,’ says she. “‘Everythin’s for sale—if you get the right price,’ says Wiggamore. “‘Nice?’ says she. ‘Why is it nice? ’Tain’t nothin’ but a field where we turn out the hogs. Nothin’ nice about it.’ “‘Price,’ says Wiggamore. ‘Money.’ “‘It hain’t for sale,’ says she.