Mr.Underhill, who had been on a journey back into the country, came over one morning to Mr.
Landholm's.
"Good morning!" said the farmer.

"Well, you've got back from your journey into the interior." "Yes," said Mr.Underhill, -- "I've got back." "How did you find things looking, out there ?" "Middling; -- their winter crops are higher up than yours and mine be." "Ay.

I suppose they've a little the start of us with the sun.
Did you come through Shagarack ?" "Yes -- I stopped there a night." "Did you see my boys ?" "Yes -- I see 'em." "Well -- what did they say ?" said the father, with his eye alive.
"Well -- not much," said Mr.Underhill.
"They were well, I suppose ?" "First-rate -- only Winthrop looked to me as if he was workin' pretty hard.

He's poorer, by some pounds, I guess, than he was when he was to hum last August." "Didn't he look as usual ?" said the father with a smothered anxiety.
"There wa'n't no other change in him, that I could see, of no kind.

I didn't know as Rufus was going to know who I was, at first." "He hasn't seen much of you for some time." "No; and folks lose their memory," said Mr.Underhill.