She heard none. No ghost
snored for her benefit. Then other happenings, happenings of this world,
claimed her attention and she dropped psychical research for the time.
The first of these happenings was the most surprising. One forenoon
Kenelm returned from an errand to the village bringing the morning's
mail with him. There were two letters for Mrs. Barnes. One was from
Emily and, as this happened to be on top, Thankful opened it first.
There was good news in the letter, good news for Georgie and also for
Mrs. Barnes herself. Georgie had been enjoying himself hugely during his
stay in East Wellmouth. He spent every moment of pleasant weather out
of doors and his energetic exuberance kept the livestock as well as the
humans on the "Cap'n Abner place" awake and lively. He fed the hens, he
collected the eggs, he pumped and carried water for George Washington;
and the feeding of Patrick Henry was his especial care. That pig, now a
plump and somnolent porker, was Georgie's especial favorite. It was past
"hog-killing time" in East Wellmouth, but Thankful had given up the idea
of turning Patrick Henry into spare ribs and lard, at least until her
lively young relative's visit was at an end. That end was what Georgie
feared. He did not want to go home. Certainly Thankful did not want him
to go, and she and Captain Obed--the latter's fondness for his "second
mate" stronger than ever--wrote to Miss Howes, begging her to use her
influence with the family to the end that Georgie's visit might be
prolonged until after Christmas, at any rate.
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