I felt to respect his feelin's 'n' did n't say nothin', 'n' after a
while he went on an' said that they was very happy married on the whole,
'n' then he rubbed his chin with his hand a nother long while 'n' said
over again 'on the whole.' He asked me then if I ever heard how he came
to marry her first 'n' I said as I always hear as it was to get the
farm. He kind of flared up at that 'n' said there never was nothin' agin
her but her nose, 'n' at that I took a fresh iron 'n' said he asked me a
plain question 'n' I give him a plain answer, which, considerin' his
horse 'n' my clothes-pole 'n' her nose, was all as could in reason be
expected of me. He softened down at that 'n' said as he was n't by no
means meanin' to make light of his dead wife's nose, 'n' I said as,
speakin' o' Mrs. Ely's nose bein' the one thing agin' her, it was the
joy of every other person as met her as it was agin her 'n' not agin
them, for it was a well-known fact as Mr. Kimball had said hunderds of
times as if he had that nose an' leaned over a bridge 'n' see it in the
water he 'd be willin' to let it overbalance him then 'n' there 'n' be
drowned forever. He got pretty meek at that, for it showed as I was in
earnest, 'n' he went on to say as it _was_ large, but he said as afore
she took to that way of kind o' shrinkin' back of it it did n't look so
large, 'n' anyway she was his married 'n' buried wife. I told him I was
certainly glad to know that, seein' as they 'd lived together so many
years, 'n' then he said it 'd really be nothin' but a joy to him to tell
me how he come to marry her, so I said I 'd listen 'n' welcome 'n' he
started in.

"I must say this, Mrs. Lathrop, 'n' that is that I soon see as it was
lucky as I was n't feelin' no special call to talk any myself, for he
set out in a most steady sort of a discouragin' down-pour, kind of
cross-your-legs 'n' clear-your-throat, 'n' I see as I was in for it 'n'
just let him pour, for feelin's catches us all ways 'n' whatever he felt
about old Mrs. Ely it was plain as some one had got to hear it to the
last drop. So I let him drop away, 'n' I will in all fairness say, as a
more steady spout I never see no one under. He never seemed to consider
as how me or any one might perhaps enjoy to maybe make a remark from
time to time, 'n' even when he ain't talkin' he 's got that way o'
rubbin' his chin as makes it seem most impolite to bu'st in on. I didn't
care much, though, 'cause I had the curtains, 'n'