"That was what I set out to do, but she was so surprised an' asked so many questions that I jest had to up and tell her what I was drivin' at. I told her that it was your last wish, and that you'd set your heart on it till you felt like you couldn't die easy unless you knew who was goin' to have your house and your beddin' and--me, and after I'd reasoned with her quite a spell and she'd ruther got used to the idee, she saw how 'twas. I thought you'd like to have it settled, because you allus do, and, as you say, there's no tellin' what day'll be to-morrow. Then, that Willy Parks is likely to come back and spile the hull plan." "Settle it all? Why, what did she say to it?" "I guess you may call it settled. I asked her if she'd consider herself engaged to me--" "What? What's that? Engaged to you?" "Yes; isn't that what you wanted?" "What did she say to that?" "She said yes, she guessed that she would, though she would like to think it over a little." "I didn't presume to think you'd go and get it all settled without talkin' it over with me, and I calc'lated to--to do the arrangin' myself. What did she say when she consented to it, Andrew?" Andrew squirmed on the edge of his chair. "I guess my tea is coolin' out there. I'd better go and eat, now." "A minute more won't make no difference. What did she say?" "She said--why, she said--a whole lot of things. She said she never expected to marry; that she wanted to give her life to makin' folks happy and doin' for them, folks that had a sorrow--but the Lord hadn't given her any sorrowful folks to do for. It's my opinion that she thought consid'able of that fickle Willy Parks. Then I reasoned with her some, and she come to see that maybe this was the app'inted work for her to do--considerin' you'd set your heart on it so. She said she didn't know but I needed lookin' after and doin' for as much as any one she knew, and it would be a pleasure to--now, Marthy, let me go and have my tea." "What else did she say?" "Well, she said I certainly had--that I had--a hard trial this trip, and I'd served my time so faithfully it would be a comfort and a pleasure to--now, Marthy, I know my tea's cold." It took him so long to have his tea and wash the dishes and bring in the squashes for fear of frost that Marthy had no further opportunity to consider the new position of her husband as an engaged man that night. She resumed the subject early the next morning. "Andrew, I want you should go and bring Abilonia over here as soon as you git the work done up. There's so much I want to arrange with her, and you never know what day'll be to-morrow. And them moths ought to be seen to right off-- "What be you goin' up stairs for? You needn't put on your Sunday clothes jest for that. She'll have to see you in your old clothes many a year after you're--ah--when she comes to live here." "Yes, but that's not now. I'm only engaged to her; I'm only sort of courtin' now, as you might say."