"I heard that plain, but then he went on muttering for a spell, and I couldn't make out a word, till she said, kinder sharp and twittery: 'I must go now, Homer; I have an important engagement;' and she said something about coming back soon. But he hollers out: "'Black sperits and white, Red sperits and gray, Mingle, mingle, mingle, Ye that mingle may!' And I heard them fussin' round, as if she was tryin' to get out the room and he was keepin' between her and the door. At last and finally, he must have got right up close't the door, for I heard him as plain as I do you. 'Rats and bears! rats and bears!' he says, 'all over the room! all over the room! look at 'em! look at 'em!' She let one yell out--that was the one you heard--and come runnin' out, and he come as fur as the door after her, flappin' his arms and hoppin' up and down--great Jonas! I expect she'd ben runnin' now if she hadn't have caught the down stage. I tell ye, I won't forget that one while." "Oh, Tommy!" said Annie Lizzie, in her soft, reproachful voice. "I think 'twas awful mean to scare a lady that way, now I do. I don't think you'd oughter have done it; 'twasn't pretty actin', no way, shape, or manner, don't tell me it was." "Annie Lizzie," said Tommy, "you don't know Mis' Pryor; you warn't nothin' but a child when she was here before. There's some folks you _have_ to scare; it's the only way to git red of 'em, and we _had_ to git red of her. Let alone what Mis' Tree said to me the last time ever I saw her,--though that was enough for me, and what she said goes, as long as I live,--but let that alone, do you think we was goin' to let that woman set right down on Mr. Homer, and smother him with sarce? I guess not. If Prov'dence hadn't sent his brother right in the nick of time, Will and me'd have had to do it ourselves, and like as not made a mess of it, and Mr. Homer found out, and ben worked up worse than what he is now; but, as it was, it was all done in the family, and there warn't a word said but what was polite, if 'twas crazy. He couldn't do no more than ask her to marry him, could he?" "Oh, well, Tommy, you can always talk!" said Annie Lizzie. "There's other things I can do besides talk," said Tommy Candy; and he did one of them. "Tommy!" said Annie Lizzie. "How you act!" CHAPTER X. A PLEASANT HOUR