Mah'sr Darby keeps dar now." "Is that so ?" cried the man.

"Why, it was on old Michaels's account that I was sneakin' around the village.

Why, I'm mighty glad I stopped here.
It makes things different if old Michaels isn't about." "Well, ye might as well go 'long," said Aunt Matilda, who seemed to be getting into a bad humor.

"There's others who knows jist as much about yer bad doin's as Mah'sr Michaels did." "I suppose you mean that meddling humbug, John Loudon," said the man.
"Now, look h'yar, you George Mason ?" cried Aunt Matilda, making one long step toward the whitewash bucket; "jist you git out o' dat dar door!" and she seized the whitewash brush and gave it a terrific swash in the bucket.
The man looked at her--he knew her of old--and then he left the cabin almost as quickly as Blinks and Holly went out of it.
"Ef it hadn't been fur dat little dog," said Aunt Matilda, grimly, "he'd a gone on.

Them little dogs is always a-doin' mischief.".