And Captain Shadrach had announced his intention of bringing her, from the store, candy and bananas to go into the lunch basket with the turnovers and sandwiches and cake.

And the Captain had that very day called her a good girl.

If he only knew! There had been a flurry of excitement in the kitchen just after dinner.
Mr.Bacheldor had appeared at the door with the request that he might "borrer the loan of Cap'n Gould's shotgun." The day before, at a quarter after four--Mr.Bacheldor was certain as to the time because he had been "layin' down two or three minutes on the sofy afore goin' out to look at some wood there was to cut in the shed, and I'd just got up and looked at the clock afore I looked out of the settin'-room winder"-- looking out of that window he had seen a cat running from his henyard with one of his recently hatched Plymouth Rock chickens in its mouth.
"If I'd had a gun then," declared Abner, "I could have blowed the critter to thunder-and-gone.

But I'll get him next time.

Let me have the gun, will you, Isaiah?
I know Shad'll say it's all right when you tell him." That shotgun was a precious arm.