In short, it was a boast of Hanz that no traveller ever passed his house hungry, if he knew it.

And it increased his importance with his neighbors that he raised more bushels to the acre than any of them, and sent better vegetables to the New York market.

More than that, he would tell all the big folks in the village, with a nod of his head, that he owed no man a stiver he could not pay before the sun set, and in such a way as to convey a sly hint that it was more than they could do.

The neighbors consulted Hanz concerning their worldly affairs, and, indeed, received his opinions as good authority.

In fine, Hanz and the Dominie were called in to settle nearly all the disputes arising between the country folks for miles around.