"It means 'cronies,' I believe, in his dictionary." They had come to where Freeland Street terminates in the Lake Road, which follows the border of the lake to the north and winds around the foot of it to the south and west.
"Why!" exclaimed Miss Clara, "there comes David.

I haven't seen him this summer." They halted and David drew up, winding the reins about the whipstock and pulling off his buckskin glove.
"How do you do, Mr.Harum ?" said the girl, putting her hand in his.
"How air ye, Miss Claricy?
Glad to see ye agin," he said.

"I'm settin' up a little ev'ry day now, an' you don't look as if you was off your feed much, eh ?" "No," she replied, laughing, "I'm in what you call pretty fair condition, I think." "Wa'al, I reckon," he said, looking at her smiling face with the frankest admiration.

"Guess you come out a little finer ev'ry season, don't ye?
Hard work to keep ye out o' the 'free-fer-all' class, I guess.
How's all the folks ?" "Nicely, thanks," she replied.
"That's right," said David.
"How is Mrs.Bixbee ?" she inquired.
"Wa'al," said David with a grin, "I ben a little down in the mouth lately 'bout Polly--seems to be fallin' away some--don't weigh much more 'n I do, I guess;" but Miss Clara only laughed at this gloomy report.
"How is my horse Kirby ?" she asked.
"Wa'al, the ole bag-o'-bones is breathin' yet," said David, chuckling, "but he's putty well wore out--has to lean up agin the shed to whicker.
Guess I'll have to sell ye another putty soon now.

Still, what the' is left of him 's 's good 's ever 't will be, an' I'll send him up in the mornin'." He looked from Miss Clara to John, whose salutation he had acknowledged with the briefest of nods.
"How'd you ketch _him_ ?" he asked, indicating our friend with a motion of his head.