was fust-rate, for
the main part of it was a girl airin' beds on the roof of a stoop.
Now, jest about that time, havin' a leisure spell, I'd begun to think
of marryin', and took a look at all the girls I met, with an eye to
business. I s'pose every man has some sort of an idee or pattern of
the wife he wants; pretty and plucky, good and gay was mine, but I'd
never found it till I see Kitty; and as she didn't see me, I had the
advantage and took an extra long stare."

"What was her good p'ints, hey?"

"Oh, well, she had a wide-awake pair of eyes, a bright, jolly sort
of a face, lots of curly hair tumblin' out of her net, a trig little
figger, and a pair of the neatest feet and ankles that ever stepped.
'Pretty,' thinks I; 'so far so good.' The way she whacked the pillers,
shook the blankets, and pitched into the beds was a caution; specially
one blunderin' old feather-bed that wouldn't do nothin' but sag round
in a pigheaded sort of way, that would have made most girls get mad
and give up. Kitty didn't, but just wrastled with it like a good one,
till she got it turned, banged, and spread to suit her; then she
plumped down in the middle of it, with a sarcy little nod and chuckle
to herself, that tickled me mightily. 'Plucky,' thinks I, 'better
'n' better.' Jest then an old woman came flyin' out the back-door,
callin', 'Kitty! Kitty! Squire Partridge's son's here, 'long with a
friend; been gunnin', want luncheon, and I'm all in the suds; do come
down and see to 'em.'

"'Where are they?' says Kitty, scrambling up her hair and settlin' her
gown in a jiffy, as women have a knack of doin', you know.

"'Mr. Joe's in the front entry; the other man's somewheres round,
Billy says, waitin' till I send word whether they can stop. I darsn't
till I'd seen you, for I can't do nothin', I'm in such a mess,' says
the old lady.

"'So am I, for I can't get in except by the entry window, and he'll
see me,' says Kitty, gigglin' at the thoughts of Joe.

"'Come down the ladder, there's a dear. I'll pull it round and keep it
stiddy,' says the mother.

"'Oh, ma, don't ask me!' says Kitty, with a shiver. 'I'm dreadfully
scared of ladders since I broke my arm off this very one. It's so
high, it makes me dizzy jest to think of.'

"'Well, then, I'll do the best I can; but I wish them boys was to
Jericho!' says the old lady, with a groan, for she was fat and hot,
had her gown pinned up, and was in a fluster generally. She was goin'
off rath