r 'n'
what a good daughter I was 'n' what a good wife Mrs. Ely was 'n' how
well he was goin' to bear it, 'n' I begun to wonder when he was
intendin' to go or whether he was thinkin' of stayin' all day, 'n' at
last there was nothin' but to ask him to dinner, 'n' I was n't intendin'
to have no dinner on a'count o' the curtains. It's a very hard thing,
Mrs. Lathrop, when you're not intendin' to have dinner to have to invite
company for it, but there did n't seem no way to help it. I could n't in
decency more than mention as Mrs. Brown was to home an' I knowed as the
Fishers was give to Irish stew on Tuesdays, but no, sir, there he sat
like a bump on a log 'n' in the hind end I could n't but ask him to stay
'n' have just cold pork 'n' beans on a'count o' the funeral. 'N' so he
stayed. I set my irons back with a heavy heart 'n' said it seemed like
some days misfortunes never come single, for I 'd already seen a
water-bug in the kitchen that very mornin'; but he seemed to have
decided to be thick-skinned, so I put on the tea-kettle 'n' brought out
the pork 'n' beans 'n' we sat down to eat."

"Was--" asked Mrs. Lathrop.

"Well, I should think he was," replied Susan. "I never see such a
appetite. He eat pork 'n' beans like he thought they was twins off a
vine, 'n' I had to finally get up 'n' clear away to save any a _tall_. I
set the tea-kettle by him 'n' told him to end by havin' all the tea he
wanted to pour through the leaves by himself, 'n' I went back to my
ironin'. He sat there 'n' drank tea very happy for a long spell. Seemed
like it sort o' thawed him out, 'n' finally he begin to talk about
_her_, 'n' once he got started on that he never quit. I ironed curtains
'n' listened 'n' let him talk. It was n't long afore he begin to show
the disadvantages o' bein' dead, for he said as he was always the
practical one of them both, 'n' he'd never have dared say that with old
Mrs. Ely on top of the earth. I was amused at his sayin' it anyhow, with
the Virginia creeper graftin's there in a tomato-can bearin' witness
agin him, but I didn't say nothin'. He asked me if I'd believe as she
was really a very fair-lookin' girl when they was married. I couldn't
but stop at that 'n' ask him if it was ever possible as her nose was
ever any different, 'n' he had to say 'No, not any different;' 'n' I can
assure you as he set 'n' rubbed his chin with his hand a long time
afterwards 'n' then drew a big breath 'n' said 'No, not any different.'