You think I'm
everlastin' joring, but I have to be. Some day, if ever you have a
house of your own, you'll know how hard it is."

"I'm goin' to take jolly fine care I never have no house of me own.
The game ain't worth the candle," responded Andrew; "I reckon them as
comes and lives in the place, like some of them summer-boarders, and
orders us about as if they was Lord Muck an' we wasn't anybody, has
the best of it."

"That ain't the point. I'm ashamed of that table. W'en I was young no
one ever had to speak to me about things once, before I knew. Once I
left drips round the end of my table, and me mother come along and
'Martha,' says she--"

"It's a wonder the wonderful Jim Clay didn't say it," muttered the
irreverent representative of the degenerate rising generation _sotto
voce_.

"'If that's the way you wash a table,' says she, 'no blind man would
choose you for his wife,' for that was the way they told if their
sweetheart was a good housekeeper, by feelin' along the table w'en
they was done washin' up."

"An' what did you say?" interestedly inquired Andrew.

"I didn't say nothink. In them days young people didn't be gabbing
back to their elders w'en they was spoke to, but held their mag an'
done their work proper," she crushingly replied.

"But I was thinkin'," said Andrew quite unabashed, "that you was a
terrible fool to be took in with that yarn. For who'd want to be
married by a blind man, an' I reckon that blind men oughtn't be let to
marry at all, and I think anyhow he ought to have been glad to get any
woman, without sneakin' around an' putting on airs about being
particular," he earnestly contended.

"But that ain't the point, anyhow," said she.

"Well, what did you tell it to me for, grandma?"

"Hold your tongue," said the old lady irately; "sometimes you might
argue with me, but there's reason in everythink, an' if you don't
have that table scrubbed and cleaned proper by the next time I come
round you'll hear about it."

With this she walked farther on towards the pig-sty and cow-bails, and
considering this a good opportunity for private conversation I went
with her, remarking in a casual manner--

"Your granddaughter has a very good voice."

"Yes; a good deal better than _some people_ that think they can sing
like Patti, and set theirselves up about it."

"Yes; but she badly needs training."

"She sings twice as well as some that has been trained and fussed
with."

"Probably; but s