s afraid she ain't a goin' to git well, and so she's a seekin'
religion. She's scart into it!

"Wall, if folks that know me are a mind to say that, they may; though if
it comes to bein' scart into religion by what the doctors said, I should
'a' jined the church twenty times over!

"It ain't because I'm afraid o' what'll happen to me after I'm all dead
and peaceable. It's because I want a little more comfort while I'm a
livin'. Seems to me there's more comfort needed for the livin'.

"And ever since my Brother 'Lihu died, seems as though them last words o'
hisn have been a ringin' in my ears. 'I know somebody that'll watch. Who?
Jesus will! Jesus will!' over and over again. And when I get to worryin'
about things, and can't see no way through, or whoever's a goin' to
straighten em' out, it keeps agoin', 'Who, then? Jesus will! Jesus will!'
over and over. And 'Lihu wasn't a professor, neither; and maybe he hadn't
no right to take the comfort out o' them words that he did; and maybe I
hain't no right, and it's only like a string o' music that'll keep a
runnin' in a body's head sometimes and they not thinkin' nor meanin' any
thin'.

"I don't see any further into it than I did afore. I don't know as I'm
what you'd call any more believin', but when I've laid till after
midnight with my eyes as wide open as daylight, and no shut to 'em,
thinkin' and worryin' and coughin', I've seen it ag'in, jest the way he
rolled and tossed that night, and then them words come to him, and he
smiled and went to sleep peacefuller nor any child; and so _I've_ said
'em, and faith or no faith, believin' or no believin', they've set me a
cryin', time and ag'in, and they've put me to sleep! thar', they've put
me to sleep!"

"And who else could they 'a' be'n meant for but him and you?" cried
Grandma, in a gush of sympathy; "him and you, and anybody else as you
seen needed them words and could give 'em to 'em to quiet 'em; for, dear
woman! there ain't none on us that see into it, but jest to say it over.
Dear woman! we don't know no more. It's what's a restin' all on us. It's
what's a restin' all on us!"

I looked up and saw tears in Madeline's eyes. I had not heard Madeline
spoken of as among the number of the impressed. There were tears in my
own eyes, I knew; there had grown to be such a pathos in those women's
voices.

A little later, Emily lapsed into a strain of sprightly gossip.

"And who do you think's kitin' around in this region ag'