azza while little Jane chewed up her
spectacle-case, 'n after she got the stone out Mrs. Sperrit jus' up
'n' took little Jane home with her. She said 't little Jane could chew
all she liked out on the farm, 'n' Gran'ma Mullins said 't she all but
fell on her knees at her feet. She was down town this afternoon buyin'
two dozen o' cotton an' one dozen o' glue, 'n' she says 't she sh'll
spend the rest o' her allotted time in peace 'n' mendin'.

"But Gran'ma Mullins' joy is more 'n balanced by Mrs. Brown, for Mrs.
Brown is clean discouraged. I see her sittin' on a barrel in the
grocery store, 'n' it was a molasses barrel 'n' some 'd run out, but
she hadn't no heart to care. She says 't Henry Ward Beecher never
budged last night, 'n' so far from that bein' a relief, it led to
worse 'n ever, for old Dr. Carter 'n' young Dr. Brown got so hungry
observin' 't they went downstairs, 'n' young Dr. Brown knowed where
everything was, 'n' as a result they eat up stuff 't Henry Ward
Beecher never 'd even dreamed existed. They opened jars o' fancy
pickles 'n' a jug o' rare old rum 'n' played Ned in general. 'N'
afterwards they went to bed in the guest-room where Mrs. Brown never
lets any one sleep, 'n' they got right in on top o' her Hottentot
pillow-shams 'n' old Dr. Carter tore a sham with his toothpick. 'N',
added to all that, Amelia 's furious 'cause she read in a book 't
teaches how to stay married 't a husband's first night out is the
first rift in the lute, 'n' she was down town buyin' a dictionary so
's to be sure what a lute is afore she accuses young Dr. Brown. 'N'
there's a man over in Meadville down with a sun-stroke, 'n' they want
Dr. Carter to hurry, 'n' they can't seem to make him realize nothin'.
He jus' sits there in Mrs. Brown's parlor 'n' shakes his head 'n'
smiles 'n' says, 'Oh, that rum, that rum!' over 'n' over. 'N' Mrs.
Brown says 't if it wasn't plain from the expression of his face as he
means it as a compliment she certainly would be real mad, for he must
'a' downed two quarts. It 's all jus' awful, 'n' I would 'a' waited
'n' walked home with her, only Mrs. Allen come along 'n' I wanted to
go with her instead. Mrs. Allen needs some sympathy too, for Polly 's
all broke up over Sam 'n' Felicia Hemans. Mrs. Allen don't hesitate to
say right out't to her order o' thinkin' Sam 'd 'a' showed more sense
'f he'd married Mrs. Macy 'cause Mrs. Macy has got a little property
'n' it looks doubtful at present if Felicia 's