Wall, Mr. Elderkin put our pony in the barn, and she made us comfortable with a cup of tea and some toast with a poached egg on top of it. And then we went in to see the patient. He wuz layin’ in a front room, ruther bare-lookin’, for the Elderkins wuz poor enough so fur as this world’s goods go, but rich in the spirit. And the bare floor, and whitewashed walls, and green paper curtains looked anything but luxurious, but everything wuz clean. And on a clean, poor bed lay the relation on his side. He looked wan—wanner fur than I expected to see him look, though I wuz prepared for wanness. His cheeks wuz fell in, and his eyes wuz holler, but bright still with that glowin’ fire that always seemed to be built up in ’em. But the light of that fire seemed to be a burnin’ down pretty low now. And he looked up and see us and smiled. It wuz the smile of a homesick child fur away to school, when he sees his own folks a comin’ towards him in the school-room. Poor John Richard! His school wuz hard, his lessons had been severe, but he had tried to learn ’em all jest as perfect as he could, and the Master wuz pleased with his work. But now he wuz sick. He wuz a sick man. As I said, he smiled as he see Josiah and me advancin’ onto him, and he held out his weak hands, and took holt of ourn, and kep’ ’em in hisen for some time, and sez he: “I am glad—_glad_ to see you.” He wuz interrupted anon, and even oftener, by his awful cough and short, painful breathin’. But he gin us to understand that he wuz dretful glad to see us once more before he passed away. He wuzn’t afraid to die—no, indeed! There wuz a deep, sweet smile in his eyes, and his lips seemed to hold some happy and divine secret as he sez: “I am glad to go home; I am glad to rest.” But I sez in a cheerful axent, “Cousin John Richard, you hain’t a goin’ to die;” sez I, “By the help of God and my good spignut syrup I believe you will be brung up agin.” But he shet up his eyes. And I see plain, by the look of his face, that though he wuz willin’ to live and work if it wuz God’s will, he wuz still more ready to depart and be with Christ, which he felt would be fur better. But it wuzn’t my way to stand and argue with a sick man back and forth as to whether he wuz a goin’ to die or not. [Illustration: “BOY LAUGHED.” ] No, I laid to, helped by my trusty Josiah. And in an hour’s time we see a difference in his breathin’, and anon he fell into a sweet sleep. And when he waked up that man looked and acted better. And three days and nights did we stay by him, a doctorin’ him up and a gettin’ him nourishin’ things to eat, and a talkin’ encouragin’ and pleasant things to him (good land! the soul and mind has got to be fed as well as the body if you don’t want to starve to death inwardly). And lo and behold! when we left Howletts Bridge and returned to Belle Fanchon, who should accompany us thither but Cousin John Richard Allen!