"You're right, Cal; you're right!" said Mr. Sim. "She's all that and more. She's agreeable, and she's capable, and she's savin', Calvin; savin'. Ma allers said, 'If the time comes when you _have_ to marry, marry a saver!' she'd say." Calvin said nothing. He felt the honest middle-aged blood mounting in his cheeks, but reflected comfortably that it would not show through the brown. "Now, Cal," Mr. Sim went on; "a woman like that ain't goin' through life single." "You bet she ain't!" said Calvin briefly; "you darned old weasel!" he added, but not aloud. "She ain't no more than forty, and she don't look that. She's well fixed, too; she ain't no need to work, Cousin ain't; she come here to accommodate, you understand." "I understand!" said Calvin; "you blamed old ferret!" Calvin was fond of finishing his sentences in silence. "Now what I say is,--" and Mr. Sim leaned forward, and sank his voice to a whisper,--"What I say is, that woman ought not to go out of the family, Calvin Parks!" Calvin grunted. A grunt may mean anything, and Mr. Sim took it for assent. "Jes' so! That's what I'm sayin'. I knew you'd see it that way. Now, Calvin, I want you to help us." A spark came into Calvin's brown eyes. "Help you!" he repeated. "What's the matter? Ain't you old enough to speak for yourself?" "Not for myself, Calvin!" cried Mr. Sim. "No, no, no! for Sam'l! for Sam'l!" "Well, I am blowed!" said Calvin Parks. Mr. Sim leaned forward anxiously. "Don't you see, Cal?" he cried. "I ain't a marryin' man; that's plain to be seen. Sam'l was allers the one for the gals, you know he was. You remember Ivy Bell?" Calvin nodded. "Well, that's the way of it!" Mr. Sim continued. "His mind allers run that way; mine didn't. Besides, I ain't a well man; I ain't in no shape to marry, Calvin, no way in the world, if I wanted to, and I don't. Now, Calvin, I want you to kind of urge Sam'l on. We ain't speakin', Sam'l and me, you know that. I told you how 'twas, fust time you come round. Nothin' agin one another, only we don't like. So I can't urge him myself; and fust thing we know some outlandishman or other'll step in and kerry her off, and then where should we be, Sam'l and me? I ask you that, Calvin Parks. We're gettin' on, you know, Cal; we're five years good older than what you be, and we couldn't abide hired help, no way in the world. You urge Sam'l on to speak to Cousin, won't you now? I'd take it real friendly of you, Cal. I allers thought a sight of you, and so did Ma. 'Twould please Ma if you got a good woman for Sam'l, Cal. Say you'll think about it!" "I'll think about it!" said Calvin Parks. * * * * * An hour later, Calvin was out in the barnyard, leaning over the pigsty, and looking at the finest hogs in the county. Mr. Sam pronounced them so, and he ought to know, Calvin thought. Calvin had never cared for hogs himself.