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Updated: May 25, 2025
"Well, I'm only here for a day," said Dickerson, with a note of self-denial in his voice that Cornelia knew was meant for her, "and I thought I wouldn't disturb you. No use making so many bites of a cherry. I got in so late last night I had to go to a hotel anyway." Mrs. Montgomery began some hospitable expostulations, but be waived them with, "Yes; that's all right.
"Pete!" exclaimed the farmer, harshly, still eyeing Hiram. "Run up to the house and bring my shotgun. Be quick about it." Hiram said never a word, and the horses, yoked together, began to crop the short grass springing upon the bank of the water-hole. "You'll find out you're fooling with the wrong man, you whippersnapper!" promised Dickerson.
There was no raid made upon her turkey coops this year, however. Pete Dickerson was not much in evidence during the spring and early summer. Mrs. Atterson went back and forth to the neighbors; but although whenever Hiram saw the farmer the latter put forth an effort to be pleasant to him, the two households did not well "mix".
"Wal, if you know so much, what are you going to do about it?" demanded the other. "I guess you'll find that these wires will snap 'bout as fast as you can mend 'em. Now, you can put that in your pipe an' smoke it!" "But I don't smoke." Hiram observed, growing calm immediately. There was no use in giving this lout the advantage of showing anger with him. "Mr. Smartie!" snarled Pete Dickerson.
He thought he heard, too, a shouting through the falling snow. "Something's wrong over yonder," thought the young farmer. He hesitated but for a moment. He had never stepped upon the Dickerson place, nor spoken to Sam Dickerson since the trouble about the turkeys. The lantern continued to swing. Eagerly as the snow came down, it could not blind Hiram to the waving light.
Dickerson just out of his bed and as ugly as many people are when they first get up leaped for the young farmer from the porch, and had him in his grip before Hiram could help himself. The woman screamed. There was a racket in the house, for some of the children had been watching from the window. "Dad's goin' to lick him!" squalled one of the girls.
"'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile!" sang Bob. "Good advice," commented Jimmy. "My troubles aren't any more serious than those of anyone else in this war. But I was just wondering if that officer told us the truth" "What officer?" asked Roger. "The one who called himself Captain Dickerson, and who saved our lives at the red mill?" answered Jimmy.
But the presence of Dickerson became so veritable that Cornelia started up breathless, and hurried home, sick with the fear that she should find him waiting for her there. She was afraid to go out the next morning, lest she should meet him on the street, though she knew that by this time he was a thousand miles away.
Half-way there he saw that it was Pete, and that he had deliberately cut out a panel of the fence and was letting a pair of horses he had been plowing with, drink at the pool, before he took them home to the Dickerson stable. Hiram stopped running and recovered his breath before he reached the lower corner of the pasture. Pete saw him coming, and grinned impudently at him.
Other people along Hillside Avenue began to take notice of the improvement about the old Day house. Mr. Dickerson built a new front fence, getting it on a line with the Days' barrier. Others trimmed hedges and trees, put the lawn mower to their grass, bolstered up sagging fences, and rehung gates. Hillside Avenue, up its whole length, began to look less neglected.
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