. There was a
time when I could see 'bout every-thing that went on up to Baxters',
and down to Bart's shop, and, by goin' up attic, consid'able many things
that happened on the bridge. Bart vows he never planted that plum tree
at the back door of his shop; says the children must have hove out plum
stones when they was settin' on the steps and the tree come up of its
own accord. He says he didn't take any notice of it till it got quite a
start and then 't was such a healthy young bush he couldn't bear to root
it out. I tell him it's kind O' queer it should happen to come up jest
where it spoils my view of his premises. Men folks are so exasperatin'
that sometimes I wish there was somebody different for us to marry, but
there ain't,--so there we be!"

"They are an awful trial," admitted Mrs. Day. "Abel never sympathizes
with my head-aches. I told him a-Sunday I didn't believe he'd mind if I
died the next day, an' all he said was: 'Why don't you try it an' see,
Lyddy?' He thinks that's humorous."

"I know; that's the way Bartholomew talks; I guess they all do. You can
see the bridge better 'n I can, Lyddy; has Mark Wilson drove over sence
you've been settin' there? He's like one o' them ostriches that hides
their heads in the sand when the bird-catchers are comin' along,
thinkin' 'cause they can't see anything they'll never BE seen! He knows
folks would never tell tales to Deacon Baxter, whatever the girls done;
they hate him too bad. Lawyer Wilson lives so far away, he can't keep
any watch o' Mark, an' Mis' Wilson's so cityfied an' purse-proud nobody
ever goes to her with any news, bad or good; so them that's the most
concerned is as blind as bats. Mark's consid'able stiddier'n he used to
be, but you needn't tell me he has any notion of bringin' one o' that
Baxter tribe into his family. He's only amusin' himself."

"Patty'll be Mrs. Wilson or nothin'," was Mrs. Day's response. "Both o'
them girls is silk purses an' you can't make sows' ears of 'em. We
ain't neither of us hardly fair to Patty, an' I s'pose it 's because she
didn't set any proper value on Cephas."

"Oh, she's good enough for Mark, I guess, though I ain't so sure of his
intentions as you be. She's nobody's fool, Patty ain't, I allow that,
though she did treat Cephas like the dirt in the road. I'm thankful he's
come to his senses an' found out the diff'rence between dross an' gold."

"It's very good of you to put it that way, Abby," Mrs. Day responded
gr