nest mended. She's
mournin' over her burnt house yet, so she could n't really feel to
sympathize with me, but I had n't time to stop an' mourn with her,--I
was too busy packin' away Elijah's toilet set.

"He got a good deal of ink around the room, Mrs. Lathrop, an' I shall
make Mr. Kimball give me a bottle of ink-remover free, seein' as he's
his nephew; but I don't see as he done any other real damage. I looked
the room over pretty sharp an' I can't find nothin' wrong with it. I
shall burn a sulphur candle in there to-morrow an' then wash out the
bureau drawers an' I guess then as the taste of Elijah'll be pretty well
out of my mouth.

"I'm sure I don't know what we're comin' to as to men, Mrs. Lathrop, for
I must say they seem more extra in the world every day. Most everythin'
as they do the women is able to do better now, an' women is so willin'
to be pleasant about it, too. Not as Elijah was n't pleasant--I never
see a more pleasant young man, but he had a way of comin' in with muddy
boots an' a smile on his face as makes me nothin' but glad as he's left
my house an' gone to Polly White's."

"Won't you--" asked Mrs. Lathrop.

"No, I won't,--not if I know myself. I ain't never been lonesome afore
in my life an' I ain't goin' to begin now. Bein' lonesome is very fine
for them as keeps a girl to do their work, but I have to slave all day
long if there's anybody but me around the house, an' I don't like to
slave. I guess Elijah's expectin' to be lonesome though, for he asked me
if I'd mind his comin' up an' talkin' over the Personal column with me
sometimes. I could see as he was more'n a little worried over how under
the sun he was goin' to run the paper without me. As a matter of fact,
Mrs. Lathrop, I've been the main stay of that paper right from the
first. Not to speak o' boardin' the editor, I've supplied most o' the
brains as run it. You know as I never am much of a talker, but I did
try to keep Elijah posted as to how things was goin' on an' the feelin'
as no matter what I said, it was him an' not me as would be blamed if
there was trouble, always kept up my courage. There's a many nights as
I've kept him at his work an' a many others as I've held him down to it.
Elijah has n't been a easy young man to manage, I can tell you."

Susan stopped and sighed.

"I like to think how he's goin' to miss me now," she said, "I made him
awful comfortable. Polly'll never do all the little things as I did.
It's a great sa