64 THE COUNTRY BOY 



wasn't cold, quite, but that feeling that, thank 

 heavens, you only have once in a lifetime, was 

 with me. In another moment another queer 

 rap, and a female voice asked, *' Who's there?" 

 Uncle Jake's hired man took me by the arm, 

 and said in a strong, bold voice, "A brother 

 wants to enter." The truth w^as the brother 

 didn't. He was all in, and about out. I 

 heard the female voice say, or rather sing it, 

 that there was a brother outside knocking for 

 admission. Then a great rustling of feet was 

 heard when the lady at the wicket said, "Bring 

 thy brother in." I was past recognizing any- 

 body by this time, although the woman at the 

 door turned out to be our hired girl, but I 

 couldn't recognize her then. They all rose and 

 sang, while I marched to the other end of the 

 great hall and knelt before a throne; and a 

 man with more cloves on his breath and a more 

 elaborate regalia, read something about rum 

 being a serpent, and strong drink was raging. 

 Another rap or two with the mallet, and then 

 we took another circle while they sang, and then 

 we stopped in front of a lesser important booth, 

 and there had more reading, and another odor 

 of cloves. But all this tune my neck would 



