elf,--she was awful
fond o' Bessy 'n' the boys, but she drawed the line at Rufus, 'n'
Gran'ma Mullins says she never minced matters neither. Gran'ma Mullins
says as Hannah used to walk right in on Rufus 'n' let fly whenever she
felt as the salvation of her soul called on her to speak or bu'st. She
said Hannah said what she could n't stand was the way the general public
seemed to coincide with Rufus's opinion of himself. Hannah used to say
as the general run o' folks did n't have to live with Rufus Timmans an'
she did, 'n' she furthermore used to say if the general run o' folks had
had to live with Rufus Timmans they would n't o' viewed him from no
fancy standpoint no more 'n' she did herself. Hannah used to say as day
in 'n' day out was a terrible lettin' in o' light on dark spots, 'n' for
her part she had n't got no use for a man as had the whole o' the inside
o' the earth by heart 'n' was n't one earthly bit o' good on the outside
of it. Hannah said as all she could say was as she wisht as some o' them
as admired his superior understandin' could just be in her place one
while. Gran'ma Mullins said as there was one time as Hannah never got
over, 'n' that was the cistern, she said as Hannah always got mad
whenever she told it, 'n' she told it so often, her face stayed always
red in the end, jus' from tellin' that story so often.

"Seems as Rufus thought mebbe there was a dead rat in the cistern, so he
had the cistern cleaned out, 'n' the drouth came on, 'n' Monday come on
top o' the drouth, 'n' Hannah pumped her arms most off afore she
realized as there wa'n't no water a _tall_, 'n' then she was that mad as
she walked right in on Rufus 'n' give it to him.

"Gran'ma Mullins said Hannah said it made her mad only to look at him;
he was sittin' in the little shady parlor, jus' softly rockin' back 'n'
forth, readin' a book as told why the Dead Sea 's dead. Well, Hannah
said no words could tell how much madder she got when she got right in
front o' him--to see a able-bodied man rockin' 'n' readin' Dead Seas on
top of a empty cistern. Hannah was never one to keep her own counsel in
the face of her own feelin's, you know, 'n' she jus' went right up in
front of Rufus 'n' said as calm as she could, 'Mr. Timmans, where's the
water for the wash to come from?' Gran'ma Mullins said Hannah always
said as she tried to stay calm but she give out young, 'n' the sight o'
Rufus liftin' his superior eyes jus' did for her. She put her two ha