"Naow, I want to fix the property so's't you won't have no trouble with it. No use wastin' money gittin' lawyers here. There ain't no cheatin' nor double-dealin' anywhere to be found amongst the Huxters nor the Lucases; and when you give me your promises to abide by my last will and testament I shall expect you to hold to it jist the same as if it was writ out. "Naow, about the farm and house. The house, as you know, stands in the middle line of the farm; that is, the north side has a leetle the advantage in hevin' the Jabez Norcross paster tacked unto it, over and above the south half, but it's near enough. That paster don't count for much. Pooty thick with sheep laurel. Wall, seein' the land lies jist as it does, and the house is jist as it is, I propose to divide it even. Lucas, you can have the north half, and Armidy the south, beginnin' right to the front door, and runnin' right through the house and right along down to the river, straight as you can fetch it. Do you agree to my plan?" Armida and Lucas exchanged glances. "You speak," said Lucas in a low tone. "No, you," said Armida. "What you whisperin' about? P'raps you think I can't hear because I'm dyin', but I'd have you to know my hearin' ain't affected a grain. Speak up naow! What is it, Lucas?" "We were thinkin' of Theodore," said Lucas. "You're leavin' him out, seems so." "'Tain't 'cause I forgot him; but I give him all I cal'lated to when he quit home five year ago--money; and so I sha'n't leave him anythin'. Wouldn't do him no good, if I did," he said to himself. "Well, we should feel better if you did," said Armida. "I don't want he should be left out. Neither would mother if she was livin'; she'd feel bad." [Illustration: "'WALL, ARMIDY, WALL, LUCAS, THE DOCTOR DON'T SEEM TO THINK I SHALL TUCKER IT OUT MUCH LONGER.'"] "I'll settle it with your ma when I see her. Come, now, what do you say?" There was a long silence, which Armida broke by saying, "S'posin' him or me was to want to leave the place, I mean for good--get tired of stayin' here to home?" "Wall," said her father with a chuckle, "if either of you feels like _givin_ your share to the other, you may. I ain't goin' to leave my old place for either of you to sell to each other nor nobody else. I expect you to live on't." "Well," now objected Lucas; "s'posin' one of us should git married, then how would it be?" "Why, live along. Put in and work a leetle harder, maybe. This farm carried a pooty fair number when I was younger. If you should git too numerous you could build on either side. I guess there ain't no gret danger," he added. As neither offered further objections, Mr. Huxter said: "There's been talk enough, I s'pose. Do you agree to 't?" He waited while each gave an audible "yes." "Naow," said he, "I hain't an earthly thing to hamper me."