She mentioned the name of a neighbor of my grandfather’s, across the river from her home. “And where else?” Another of our neighbors. The stranger repeated the two names with satisfaction. “And where else?” He never once lifted his eyes from the pavement; and there was a sort of suppressed eagerness in his voice that thrilled us all with a strange excitement, we knew not why. “We sail in our boat to see Uncle Tom.” [Many of the young people in our neighborhood called my grandfather by this name.] “Oh, you mean your Uncle Tom—let me see,”—and a faint smile illumined his face,—“you mean your Uncle Tom—Mulligins?” “No-o-o-o! Minty-pepper ain’t dood. It stings my mouf.” “Ah, yes, I know,—you sail in your boat to—see—your—Uncle Tom—Higginbotham.” Perhaps she dimly perceived that he was drolling; at any rate, she doubled herself up with an affected little laugh. “No, I will tell you,” said he, raising his eyes to her face,—“it is your Uncle Tom Whacker.” The audience half rose from their seats. “Why, who can he be?” exclaimed Mrs. Carter. “Yes, that’s his right name,—Uncle Mr. Whacker. I calls him Uncle Tom. He is a hundred years old, I reckon. My sister loves Mr. Uncle Whacker some, but she loves Mr.—Mr.—Mr. Fat Whacker the most.” [Sensation!] As this is the second remark of this character on Laura’s part that I have recorded, it is high time that I explained that the idea had naturally enough arisen in her mind from hearing Mary and Alice rally her sister upon the increased frequency of my visits to the Carters’ since her arrival in town. “Do you love me some?” “Yes, I loves you a heap!” “And I loves you a heap, too,” said he; and stooping, he kissed her several times. “And now I suppose you had better run in and show your candy to your sister Lucy.” “All wight!” said she; and she toddled off. CHAPTER VI. The morning following these occurrences, and for several days thereafter, I had occasion to be absent from town. Calling at the Carters’ on the evening of my return, I found that the daily visits of the mysterious stranger had not been interrupted. There was, however, nothing of special interest to report. The interviews with Laura had been short, and marked only by the invariable production of the package of candy. When I expressed fears for that young lady’s digestion, I learned that, owing to a like solicitude, the girls had shared the danger with Laura so magnanimously that her health was in no immediate peril. “Here are still some of the remains of to-day’s spoil,” said Alice, handing me a collapsed package. “Well,” said I, “now that you have seen him so often, what do you think of him? What are your theories?” “There are as many opinions as there are girls,” said Mrs. Carter. “What is mine? Well, I should suppose that I was too old to express an opinion upon such romantic affairs. But one thing I will say, he is undoubtedly a gentleman.”