And jawed on in an undertone,
'Bout leavin' Lide and Jane alone
There on the place, and me not there
To oversee 'em, and p'pare
The stuffin' for the turkey, and
The sass and all, you understand.

I've always managed David by
Jes sayin' nothin'. That was why
He'd chased Lide's beau away--'cause Lide
She'd allus take up Perry's side
When David tackled him; and so,
Last Christmas was a year ago,--
Er ruther 'bout a week _afore_,--
David and Perry'd quarr'l'd about
Some tom-fool argyment, you know,
And pap told him to "Jes git out
O' there, and not to come no more,
And, when he went, to _shet the door!_"
And as he passed the winder, we
Saw Perry, white as white could be,
March past, onhitch his hoss, and light
A _see_-gyar, and lope out o' sight.
Then Lide she come to me and cried.
And I said nothin'--was no need.
And yit, you know, that man jes got
Right out o' there's ef he'd be'n shot--
P'tendin' he must go and feed
The stock er somepin'. Then I tried
To git the pore girl pacified.

But gittin' back to--where was we?--
Oh, yes--where David lectered me
All way to meetin', high and low,
Last Christmas was a year ago.
Fer all the awful cold, they was
A fair attendunce; mostly, though,
The crowd was 'round the stoves, you see,
Thawin' their heels and scrougin' us.
Ef't 'adn't be'n fer the old Squire
Givin' his seat to us, as in
We stompted, a-fairly perishin',
And David could 'a' got no fire,
He'd jes 'a' drapped there in his tracks.
And Squire, as I was tryin' to yit
Make room fer him, says, "No; the facks
Is I got to git up and git
'Ithout no preachin'. Jes got word--
Trial fer life--can't be deferred!"
And out he put. And all way through
The sermont--and a long one, too--
I couldn't he'p but think o' Squire
And us changed round so, and admire
His gintle ways--to give his warm
Bench up, and have to face the storm.
And when I noticed David he
Was needin' jabbin', I thought best
To kind o' sort o' let him rest--
'Peared like he slep' so peacefully!
And then I thought o' home, and how
And what the girls was doin' now,
And kind o' prayed, 'way in my breast,
And breshed away a tear er two
As David waked, and church was through.

By time we'd "howdyed" round, and shuck
Hands with the neighbors, must 'a' tuck
A half-hour longer: ever' one
A-sayin' "Christmas-gift!" afo