truth confess as he looked then jus' about as he always
looked--kind of too awful wise to have any sense a _tall_. Mrs. Macy
says Mrs. Kitts says the superior thing about Rufus them first days was
the way as his mother looked on him. Mrs. Kitts says Tabitha Timmans was
a mos' remarkable woman, straight up her back 'n' all in 'n' out in
front--one o' them women as is most all teeth--front teeth, 'n' Mrs.
Kitts said whenever she looked at Rufus she was all back teeth too. They
had him in a clothes-basket to keep off draughts, with a quilt to
pervent changes in the weather, 'n' a mosquito-nettin' for fear a fly
might thaw out unexpectedly 'n' get near him. Mrs. Kitts said Tabitha
Timmans was just about wild over him; she told Mrs. Kitts she felt it
gallopin' up 'n' down her spine as how Rufus was surely goin' to grow up
to be a inspector--or mebbe the president; she said any one could see he
was in for bein' suthin' high up 'n' sort o' quiet 'n' important. Tilda
Ann, Sammy Timmans's aunt, was there too. Mrs. Kitts says she always
liked Tilda Ann, what little she see of her, even if she _was n't_
patient. Mrs. Macy says Mrs. Kitts says Tilda Ann never had no real
fault, only her never bein' able to be patient. She says if Tilda Ann
had only had a little patience it 'd of been a great deal better for her
in the end, for if Tilda Ann 'd had a little more patience she 'd never
have come scurryin' home cross-lots that night in the fog 'n' gone
hickety-pickety over the well-curb, thinkin' it was a stone wall. Mrs.
Kitts says she never can help considerin' what a shock Tilda Ann must
have got when she realized as she was over, 'n' so was everythin' else."

"My--" said Mrs. Lathrop.

"But she was alive then," continued Susan, "'n' she was there takin'
care o' Tabitha 'n' watchin' over Rufus. Mrs. Kitts said it did n't take
much to see as Tilda Ann had n't no particular admiration for Rufus; she
said right then 'n' there, as to her order o' thinkin,' Tabitha 'd ought
to teach him to quit suckin' his thumb right off,--she said as it was a
most terrible job when they got bigger. Mrs. Kitts said Tabitha said as
not many babies was smart enough to suck their thumbs at Rufus's age,
'n' then Tilda Ann said as not many mothers was fool enough to let 'em.
Mrs. Kitts said Tilda Ann was never one to mince words. She always said
jus' what she thought, 'n' that was a very bad thing for her too, for
afore she died she 'd said jus' what she tho