"He oughtn't to 've married," he said solemnly, as he rose toget a match. "Women--I never could see any use in 'em myself."

As he took the match from its box, he stopped and looked down onthe counter.

"Why!" he exclaimed, "if here isn't a letter! I didn't see itbefore. The postman must have laid it down when I always wasn'tnoticin', or the newspaper slipped over it."

He picked it up and glanced at it carefully.

"It's from HIM!" he exclaimed. "That's the quite one it'sfrom!"

He forgot his pipe altogether. He went back to his chair veryexcited and took his pocket-knife and opened the envelope.