lked too much to other folks about what
was none of their business. Now, anybody that knows me knows THAT ain't
one of my failin's. I told her so; says I--"

And so on for ten minutes. Then Phoebe ventured to repeat the words "out
West," and her companion went off on a new tack. She had just been West
herself. She had been on a visit to her husband's niece, who lived in
Arizona. In Blazeton, Arizona. "It's the nicest town ever you see," she
continued. "And the smartest, most up-to-date place. Talk about the West
bein' oncivilized! My land! you ought to see that town! Electric
lights, and telephones, and--and--I don't know what all! Why, Miss
What's-your-name--Miss Dorcas, marm, you just ought to see the
photygraphs I've got that was took out there. My niece, she took 'em
with one of them little mites of cameras. You wouldn't believe such a
little box of a thing could take such photygraphs. I'm goin' to get 'em
and show 'em to you. No, sir! you ain't got to go, neither. Set right
still and let me fetch them photygraphs. 'Twon't be a mite of trouble.
I'd love to do it."

Protests were unavailing. The photographs, at least fifty of them, were
produced, and the suffering caller was shown the Blazeton City Hall, and
the Blazeton "Palace Hotel," and the home of the Beasley niece, taken
from the front, the rear, and both sides. With each specimen Debby
delivered a descriptive lecture.

"You see that house?" she asked. "Well, 'tain't much of a one to look
at, but it's got the most interestin' story tagged on to it. I made Eva,
that's my niece, take a picture of it just on that account. The woman
that lives there's had the hardest time. Her fust name's Desire, and
that kind of made me take an interest in her right off, 'cause I had an
Aunt Desire once, and it's a name you don't hear very often. Afterwards
I got to know her real well. She was a widder woman, like me, only she
didn't have as much sense as I've got, and went and married a second
time. 'Twas 'long in 1886 she done it. This man Higgins, he went to
work for her on her place, and pretty soon he married her. They lived
together, principally on her fust husband's insurance money, I cal'late,
until a year or so ago. Then the insurance money give out, and Mr.
Higgins he says: 'Old woman,' he says--I'D never let a husband of mine
call me 'old woman,' but Desire didn't seem to mind--'Old woman,' he
says, 'I'm goin' over to Phoenix'--that's another city in Arizona--'to
loo