kly found out as all as he was after
was the funeral, f'r it seems as they was uncommonly spry with it. He
told me right off as they had it pretty prompt too, for he says when it
comes to buryin' a wife there 's no need for a man to go slow, 'n' so he
had all Meadville up with the lark 'n' out after old Mrs. Ely. He seemed
to feel all of a sudden as it was a little awkward me not havin' been
there, but I saw how he felt 'n' made his mind easy by tellin' him frank
'n' open that it was n't nothin' agin his wife as kept me here, for when
it come right square down to it I did n't know any one as I 'd enjoy
their funeral more 'n gettin' my curtains ironed; an' I may in truth
repeat to you as that 's so, Mrs. Lathrop, for although it may seem hard
at first hearin', still we both know what it is to iron curtains, 'n' my
motto always is as a live lion has rights above a dead dog, and the
proverb says as the dead is always ready to bury the dead anyhow. Old
man Ely seemed to look on it much as I did, for he did n't fiddle about
none with his affairs, but came right to the point an' told me fair an'
square as, not havin' anythin' particular on hand after it was over, an'
seein' clear as he was three miles out of his way anyhow, he 'd thought
he 'd come on as far as Pete Sanderson's 'n' see about a cow as he 'd
heard Pete had, 'n' then after that it looked to him like it was pretty
much a day for odd jobs straight through, so he come over here to get
some graftin's from our grape-vine. He said as father 'd told him once
as he could have some graftin's from the porch-vine if he 'd come and
cut 'em, 'n' so he was come. I told him as when it was n't nothin' more
important than grape-vines father's words was ever my laws; so he went
out 'n' cut some pieces from the Virginia creeper an' come in perfectly
satisfied, 'n' I may in confidence remark as I was satisfied too for I
was n't overpleased to have him meddlin' with the porch-vine. I will
remark, though, as his cuttin' Virginia creeper for grape-vines did
amuse me some, for it's been a well-known fact for years as Mrs. Ely was
Mr. Ely in everythin' but the clothes he wore, 'n' they say the way she
managed to figger-head him through plantin' 'n' harvest, 'n' pasture 'n'
punkins, was nothin' short of genius, bred in the bone 'n' bustin' out
every seam.

"Howsomesoever, he stayed 'n' stayed 'n' I ironed 'n' ironed, 'n' we
talked about the farm 'n' father 'n' how well he remembered fathe