a right to listen if you wanted to," declared Hayward, irascibly.

"Well, I couldn't help it unless I went outdoors. Mis' Adkins she was in
the kitchen making lightbread for supper, and Mis' Trimmer had sat right
down there with her. Mis' Adkins's kitchen is as clean as a parlor,
anyway. Mis' Adkins said to Mis' Trimmer, speaking of me--because Mis'
Trimmer had just asked where I was and Mis' Adkins had said I was out in
the woodshed sitting with the cats and smoking--Mis' Adkins said, 'He's
just a doormat, that's what he is.' Then Mis' Trimmer says, 'The way he
lets folks ride over him beats me.' Then Mis' Adkins says again: 'He's
nothing but a door-mat. He lets everybody that wants to just trample
on him and grind their dust into him, and he acts real pleased and
grateful.'"

Hayward's face flushed. "Did Mrs. Adkins mention that she was one of the
people who used you for a door-mat?" he demanded.

Jim threw back his head and laughed like a child, with the sweetest
sense of unresentful humor. "Lord bless my soul, Edward," replied Jim,
"I don't believe she ever thought of that."

"And at that very minute you, with a hard cold, were sitting out in that
draughty shed smoking because she wouldn't allow you to smoke in your
own house!"

"I don't mind that, Edward," said Jim, and laughed again.

"Could you see to read your paper out there, with only that little shed
window? And don't you like to read your paper while you smoke?"

"Oh yes," admitted Jim; "but my! I don't mind little things like that!
Mis' Adkins is only a poor widow woman, and keeping my house nice and
not having it smell of tobacco is all she's got. They can talk about
women's rights--I feel as if they ought to have them fast enough, if
they want them, poor things; a woman has a hard row to hoe, and will
have, if she gets all the rights in creation. But I guess the rights
they'd find it hardest to give up would be the rights to have men look
after them just a little more than they look after other men, just
because they are women. When I think of Annie Berry--the girl I was
going to marry, you know, if she hadn't died--I feel as if I couldn't do
enough for another woman. Lord! I'm glad to sit out in the woodshed and
smoke. Mis' Adkins is pretty good-natured to stand all the cats."

Then the coffee boiled, and Hayward poured out some for Jim and himself.
He had a little silver service at hand, and willow-ware cups and
saucers. Presently Sam appeared,