ooked to. My feelin's have been pretty agreeable,
take it all in all, 'n' I'd be a born fool 'f I didn't take solid
comfort sleepin' nights, 'n' I never was a fool--never was 'n' never
will be. The havin' somebody to sleep in the house 's been hard, 'n'
Mrs. Macy's fallin' through the cellar-flap giv' me a bad turn, but
she's doin' nicely, 'n' the minister makes up f'r anythin'. I do wish
't you'd seen him that afternoon, Mrs. Lathrop; he did look _so_ most
awful sheepish, 'n' his clean collar give him dead away afore he ever
opened his mouth. He set out by sayin' 't the consolations of religion
was mine f'r the askin', but I didn't take the hint, 'n' so he had to
jus' come out flat 'n' say 't he'd been thinkin' it over 'n' he'd
changed his mind. I held my head good 'n' high 't that, I c'n assure
you, 'n' it was a pretty sorry look he give me when I said 't I'd been
thinkin' it over too, 'n' I'd changed my mind too. He could 'a' talked
to me till doomsday about his bein' a consolation, I'd know it was
nothin' 't changed him but me comin' into them government bonds. No
man alive could help wantin' me after them bonds was found, 'n' I had
the great pleasure o' learnin' that fact out o' Lawyer Weskin himself.
All his species o' fun-makin' 't nobody but hisself ever sees any fun
in, jus' died right out when we unlocked father's old desk 'n' come on
that bundle o' papers. He give one look 'n' then all his gay
spinniness oozed right out o' him, 'n' he told me 's serious 's a
judge 't a woman 's rich 's I be needed a good lawyer to look out f'r
her 'n' her property right straight along. Well, I was 's quick to
reply 's he was to speak. 'N' I was to the point too. I jus' up 'n'
said, Yes, I thought so myself, 'n' jus' 's soon 's I got things to
rights I was goin' to the city 'n' get me one."

Miss Clegg paused to frown reminiscently; Mrs. Lathrop's eyes never
quitted the other's face.

"There was Mr. Sperrit too. Come with a big basket o' fresh vegetables
't he said he thought 'd maybe tempt my appetite. I d'n' know 's I
ever enjoyed rappin' no one over the knuckles more 'n I did him. I
jus' stopped to take in plenty o' breath 'n' then I let myself out,
'n' I says to him flat 'n' plain, I says, 'Thank you kindly, but I
guess no woman in these parts 's better able to tempt her own appetite
'n' I be now, 'n' you'll be doin' me the only kindness 't it's in you
to do me now if you'll jus' take your garden stuff 'n' give it to some