size of a dime on his left leg above his knee, and four little bits of moles around it, when he was naked, and he said it minded him of Jubiter and his moons; and the children thought it was funny, and so they got to calling him Jubiter, and he’s Jubiter yet. He’s tall, and lazy, and sly, and sneaky, and ruther cowardly, too, but kind of good-natured, and wears long brown hair and no beard, and hasn’t got a cent, and Brace boards him for nothing, and gives him his old clothes to wear, and despises him. Jubiter is a twin.” 

 “What’s t’other twin like?” 

 “Just exactly like Jubiter—so they say; used to was, anyway, but he hain’t been seen for seven years. He got to robbing when he was nineteen or twenty, and they jailed him; but he broke jail and got away—up North here, somers. They used to hear about him robbing and burglaring now and then, but that was years ago. He’s dead, now. At least that’s what they say. They don’t hear about him any more.” 

 “What was his name?” 

 “Jake.” 

 There wasn’t anything more said for a considerable while; the old lady was thinking. At last she says: 

 “The thing that is mostly worrying your aunt Sally is the tempers that that man Jubiter gets your uncle into.” 

 Tom was astonished, and so was I. Tom says: 

 “Tempers? Uncle Silas? Land, you must be joking! I didn’t know he had any temper.” 

 “Works him up into perfect rages, your aunt Sally says; says he acts as if he would really hit the man, sometimes.” 

 “Aunt Polly, it beats anything I ever heard of. Why, he’s just as gentle as mush.” 

 “Well, she’s worried, anyway. Says your uncle Silas is like a changed man, on account of all this quarreling. And the neighbors talk about it, and lay all the blame on your uncle, of course, because he’s a preacher and hain’t got any business to quarrel. Your aunt Sally says he hates to go into the pulpit he’s so ashamed; and the people have begun to cool toward him, and he ain’t as popular now as he used to was.” 

 “Well, ain’t it strange? Why, Aunt Polly, he was always so good and kind and moony and absent-minded and chuckle-headed and lovable—why, he was just an angel! What can be the matter of him, do you reckon?” 

 Prev. P 4/54 next