It's been a very mild winter on the Cape, Miss
Hungerford."
Lovell's nervous glance falling again on his gun, took me in wildly on
the way.
I had been directing some letters that I expected to have an opportunity
to send that morning.
"I beg your pardon," I said, looking up. "Yes, you don't often have such
mild winters on the Cape, Mr. Barlow!"
"No'm, we don't," said Lovell, "not very often, ahem!" He moved his chair
a peg nearer the gun. "Quite a--ahem!--quite a little fall of snow we had
last night, Miss Hungerford."
"Any deer tracks? Eh, Lovell?" inquired Grandpa.
"Pa," said Grandma; "I wish you'd fill Abigail--seems to me she smells
sorter dry."
"She ain't, for sartin', ma," replied Grandpa, giving the tea-kettle a
shake to verify his assertions; "and Rachel's chock full!"
Grandma then gave Grandpa a meaning look, and put her fingers on her
lips.
"Well, Cap'n, I saw more rabbit tracks," replied Lovell, innocently
amused at the ludicrousness of the old Captain's speech. "I did,
rather--ahem!--yes, I saw more rabbit tracks--ahem!--ahem!" He gave his
chair a desperate hitch gunward. "I don't suppose they ever do such a
thing, where you live, Miss Hungerford, as to go--ahem!--to go
sleigh-riding, now, do they, Miss Hungerford?"
"Why, yes," I said; "they always do in the winter.
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