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“Leave off shaving my new gate, then, and don’t think I’m going to trust a hundred and eighty-five solid flesh to a three-legged stool. I’m too old for that. I’ll sit on the step here. Now go ahead, man,”

So Grandfather sat down on the step, and Aaron turned his back against the gate and kicked one boot on the other. He was not used to narration.

“Well, you know we had a dreadful spell ÔøΩo weather a month ago, Squire. There ha’n’t never been such a March in my day as this last; an’ ÔøΩt was worse up our way here, an’ down to Hartland Holler was the beat of all. Why, it snowed an’ it blowed an’ it friz till all Natur’ couldn’t stan’ it no more! Well, about them days I was down to Hartland Centre a-buyin’ some fat cattle for Hanerford market, an’ I met Orrin Nye drivin’ his team pretty spry, for he see it was comin’ on to snow; but when he catched sight o’ me, he stopped the horses an’ hollered out to me, so I stepped along an’ asked what he wanted; an’ he said there was a woman down to the Hollar that had a cow to sell, an’ he knowed I was apt to buy cow-critters along in the spring, so he’d spoke about it for she was kinder in a hurry to sell, for she was goin’ to move. So I said I’d see to’t, an’ he driv along. I thought likely I should git it cheap, ef she was in a hurry to sell, an’ I concluded I’d go along next day; ÔøΩt wa’n’t more ÔøΩn’ seven mile from the Centre, down by a piece o’ piny woods, an’ the woman was Miss Adams. I used ter know George Adams quite a spell ago, an’ he was a likely feller. Well, it come on to snow jest as fine an’dry as sand, an’ the wind blew like needles, an’, come next day, when I started to foot it down there, I did n’t feel as though I could ha’gone, ef I had n’t been sure of a good bargain; the snow had n’t driv much, but the weather had settled down dreadful cold; ÔøΩt was dead still, an’ the air sorter cut ye to breathe it; but I’m naterally hardy, an’ I kep’ along till I got there. I did n’t feel so all-fired cold as I hev sometimes, but when I stepped in to the door, an’ she asked me to hev a cheer by the fire, fust I knew I did n’t know nothin’; I come to the floor like a felled ox. I expect I must ha’ been nigh on to dead with clear cold, for she was the best part o’ ten minutes bringin’ on me to. She rubbed my hands an’ face with camphire an’ gin me some hot tea; she had n’t got no sperits in the house, but she did everything a little woman could do, an’ I was warmed through an’ through afore long, an’ we stepped out into the shed to look at the cow.

“Well, Squire, I ha’n’t got much natur’ into me noway, an’it ÔøΩs well I ha’n’t but that cow beat all, I declare for ÔøΩt! She put her head round the minute Miss Adams come in; an’ if ever you see a dumb beast pleased, that’ere cow was tickled to pieces. She put her nose down to the woman’s cheek, an’ she licked her hands, an’ she moved up agin’ her an’ rubbed her ear on her, — she all but talked; an’ when I looked round an see them black eyes o’ Miss Adams’s with wet in ÔøΩem, I ÔøΩmost wished I had a pocket-handkercher myself.