forrard I could, an' you've done the same. Ad'line had a dreadful
cravin' to be somethin' more'n common; but it don't look as if she was
goin' to make out any great. 'Twas unfortunate her losin' of her
husband, but I s'pose you've heard hints that they wa'n't none too
equal-minded. She'd a done better to have worked on a while to Lowell
and got forehanded, and then married some likely young fellow and
settled down here, or to the Corners if she didn't want to farm it.
There was Jim Hall used to be hanging round, and she'd been full as
well off to-day if she'd took him, too. 'T ain't no use for folks to
marry one that's of another kind and belongs different. It's like two
fiddles that plays different tunes,--you can't make nothin' on't, no
matter if both on em's trying their best, 'less one on 'em beats the
other down entirely and has all the say, and ginerally 't is the worst
one does it. Ad'line's husband wa'n't nothin' to boast of from all we
can gather, but they didn't think alike about nothin'. She could 'a'
done well with him if there'd been more of _her_. I don't marvel his
folks felt bad: Ad'line didn't act right by 'em."

"Nor they by her," said the twin brother. "I tell ye Ad'line would
have done 'em credit if she'd been let. I seem to think how't was with
her; when she was there to work in the shop she thought 't would be
smart to marry him and then she'd be a lady for good and all. And all
there was of it, she found his folks felt put out and hurt, and
instead of pleasing 'em up and doing the best she could, she didn't
know no better than to aggravate 'em. She was wrong there, but I hold
to it that if they'd pleased her up a little and done well by her,
she'd ha' bloomed out, and fell right in with their ways. She's got
outward ambitions enough, but I view it she was all a part of his
foolishness to them; I dare say they give her the blame o' the whole
on't. Ad'line ought to had the sense to see they had some right on
their side. Folks say he was the smartest fellow in his class to
college."

"Good King Agrippy! how hot it does git," said Jake rising
indignantly, as if the fire alone were to blame. "I must shove back
the cider again or 't will bile over, spite of everything. But 't is
called unwholesome to get a house full o' damp in the fall o' the
year; 't will freeze an' thaw in the walls all winter. I must git me a
new pipe if we go to the Corners to-morrow. I s'pose I've told ye of a
pipe a man had ab