Good land! what is Malviny
made of to be even comfortable cool to say nothin' of freezin'." And
my next thought wuz, "What sort of a place have I got into?" Truly, I
had read much of the hardenin' effects of fashion and style, but I
little thought they would harden so fearful hard. None of these men
and wimmen settin' on them piazzas had gin any more attention to the
blood-curdlin' news that a feller creeter so nigh 'em wuz perishin',
no more than if they'd seen a summer leaf flutterin' down from the
boughs overhead.

I thought of the rich man and Lazarus, only kinder turned round and
freezin' instead of burnin'. I felt bad and queer. But anon he drew
nigh the porch I wuz settin' on and looked up into my face with the
same harrowin' statement, "Malviny is a-goin' to freeze to-night!"

And I said, with goose pimples runnin' down my back most as bad as I
mistrusted as Malviny had, "Who is Malviny?"

He stopped and sez, "She is my wife."

His indifferent mean madded me and I sez, "Well, you good-for-nothin'
snipe you, instead of traipsin' all over the neighborhood tellin' of
your wife's state, why hain't you to home buildin' a fire and heatin'
soap stuns and bricks, and steepin' pepper tea?"

"What for?" sez he, amazed like.

"Why, to keep Malviny from freezin'."

"I don't want to stop it," sez he.

Sez I, "Do you want your wife to freeze?"

"Yes," sez he.

Sez I, lookin' up and apostophrizin' the clear sky that looked down
like a big calm blue eye overhead, "Are such things goin' on here in a
place so good that folks can't git a letter Sundays to save their
lives, or embark to see their friends if they're dyin' or dead; is
such a place," I groaned, "to condone such wickedness!"

Sez the man, "What harm is there in Malviny's freezin'?"

Sez I, "You heartless wretch, you! if I wuz a man I'd shake some of
the wickedness out of you, if I had to be shot up the minute
afterwards!"

"What harm is there in freezin' ice-cream?" sez he.

Sez I, astounded, "Is that what Malviny's freezin'?"

"Yes," sez he.

I sunk back weak as a cat.

Sez he, "I bring it round to the cottages every time Malviny freezes;
they give me their orders if they want any."

"Well," sez I in a faint voice, "I don't want any." Truly I felt that
I had had enough chill and shock for one day.

Well, Whitfield and Tirzah Ann come in pretty soon and she wuz all
enthused with the place. They'd been up the steep windin' way to
Sunrise Mounta