Theo hunkered down in the dust until his snub nose all but touched the dirt of the road. Not that it would have made much of a difference, the boy's face had long ago given up any attempt at being clean. Alongside him, Harper, a fairly decent chap even if most of the decent in him was more that he could be depended upon to have a ha'penny or two in pocket or at the very least, a bit of twist, was just as bent over. The pair of boys yelled into the dust and behind them, Little Jonathan Little danced and hopped about in anticipation, yanking at the hem of his untucked shirt. 

The reason the boys were so worked up was the slow, languid stroll (not quite unlike that of the man making his way up the lane) of two frogs in the road. One either side of the frogs, wood had been set to suggest to both that they go one way, but the frogs weren't quite of that mind. The smaller one had leapt atop the wood on multiple occaision and had they not already agreed that such action could be remedied, Theo would have been out a rather nice canker on a string, this day's prize. 

Little Jonathan Little's eyes were set upon the race and not, as they were supposed to have been, on the road, or the young man might have noticed the quick steps coming up behind. He certainly felt the arrival, however, as his ear was caught handily between strong fingers and pulled red. With a yowl, he danced to the side, his head cocked as well as it could to take the pressure off of those fingers. 

“Theodore Hammil, you oughter be ashamed of yerself!” the young woman let go of Little Jonathan Little and quick, cuffed the scrambling Harper. “And you, too, Harper Smith. Look at y'both, like a pair of ruffians!” 

Theo, not half so befuddled by the sudden appearance of his sister, jumped to his feet and pointed down into the dust with a triumphant, “Ha! I won!” The sudden shove of his fingers had left a rather confused frog just past the bit of string they'd laid down at the end of the wood, while Harper's frog tried for freedom over one of the sides. 

Harper, hand to his head, hadn't the same strength of will that his friend had and hadn't moved out of the way of the cuff, but had taken it as was proper. He glowered over at Theo and shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out the canker and string. 

“Over a what?” the girl yanked it from Harper's hand, “A bit of chestnut, is that it? Theo, if Da happens t'see you, you'll be more'n sore t'night. G'on boys,” she shooed the other two and turned on her unrepentant brother, her hands on her hips and her black hair flying about her shoulders. “You! You'd best be getting yourself into the back. There's wood to chop and if it weren't that the stove were going out and I were to get more, you'd have waited til dark t'restock it. You're lucky it was me that found you in the road.” She glared at her brother who only glared back. When his silent glower grew too much to take, she stamped her small foot in the road. 

“Well?” she snapped. 

“You've my prize.” 

“This? Oh, you! Of course, you'll have your prize won't you! Well, here, take it then!” 

Neither of the pair took note of the older man about to come upon them, they were accustomed to knowing everyone and being known by everyone. Hammil's children, it was said, were in need of a mother. It was too late for Dear Bess, she was wild as the wood, but Theo could still be saved if a woman were to but put herself to the task. The girl, they could hope only that she'd settle down once her father married her off. But then, the chances of that happening were more and more rare, despite her pretty looks, as her father needed her for the inn. No, a wife for Hammil and then, make a wife of his daughter, that was the thought on every mind.