was the reason why she was takin' the piece
of paper along with her? Then she says as he said as he'd show her how
to remember her shoes an' welcome an' she says as she thought as long as
it was welcome she might as well stand still, so she did.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, you can believe me or not just as you please, but
the first thing he did was to ask her what Kulosis reminded her of,
which struck her as most strange in the start out. But she told him as
it did n't remind her of nothin' but shoes an' let it go at that, an'
she says it was plain as then he had to think of somethin' as it _could_
remind somebody of, an' she says he certainly did have to think a long
while an' when he said finally as it reminded _him_ of four noses.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, Mrs. Macy says she never heard the beat of that in
all her born days, an' her mind went back to her childhood days an' a
uncle she had, an' the Lord 'll surely forgive her for thinkin' as he'd
surely been drinkin'; she says she was so took aback that he see it in
her face an' told her right then an' there as it was a memory system.
Seems as the key to the whole is as you must reduce everythin' to Mother
Goose so as not to need the brains as you've growed since, an' the
minister told Mrs. Macy as she'd find it most simple to apply. He went
on to ask her what did four noses remind her of, an' she says she
thought she see the whole game at that an' told him as quick as scat
that they reminded her of Kulosis, but oh, my, seems that ain't the way
it goes a _tall_, an' he begin an' explained it all over again, an'
where he come out in the end was as four noses would just naturally
remind any one as had more brains'n Mrs. Macy of 'Two legs sat upon
three legs.' You know the rhyme in Mother Goose where the dog is four
legs an' gets the mutton as is one leg in the man's lap?

[Illustration: "'Mrs. Macy was just about plum paralyzed at _that_.'"
_Page_ 179.]

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, you can maybe understand as Mrs. Macy was just
about plum paralyzed at _that_! Her story is as she just stood afore him
with her mouth open like a Jack-o'-lantern's, wonderin' what under the
sun she was goin' to be asked to remember next, an' when he said that
was all, an' for her just to simply tear up the paper, she forgot all
about Luther Stott's wife on the back an' tore up the paper. He said for
her to go right along to town fully an' freely relyin' on 'Two legs sat
upon three legs' to get her her sho