ever get
anythin' out of our delegates, so what was the use of us an' them ever
tryin' to get together a _tall_. I thought she was very sensible
yesterday, an' I thought she was very sensible at the meetin' as elected
her, an' I tried to talk to Elijah, but Elijah's so dead set on our
bein' up to time with every Tom, Dick an' Harry as comes along with any
kind of a new plan, that I can't seem to get him to understand as no one
in this town wants to be up to time--we're a great deal better suited
takin' our own time like we always did until he come among us. Mrs. Macy
says as we all know as no one wanted to be a delegate to the federation
to begin with, an' you know that yourself, Mrs. Lathrop, for I was there
an' Elijah's idea resulted in the first place in every one's stayin'
away from that meetin' for fear as they'd be asked to go. They had to
set another day for the sewin' society an' even then a good many cleaned
house instead for a excuse, an' Mrs. Sweet said right out as she did n't
believe as any of us knowed enough to go to a convention an' so we'd
better all stay home. I had to speak up at that an' say as Elijah had
told me as things was fixed now so folks as did n't know anythin' could
go to a convention just as well as any one else, but Mrs. Jilkins said
in that case she should feel as if she was wastin' her time along with a
lot of fools, an' what she said made such a impression that in the end
the only one as they could possibly get to go was Mrs. Macy, so they
elected her. Mrs. Macy was n't enthusiastic about bein' elected, a
_tall_, but Mrs. Lupey is her cousin an' Mrs. Lupey was the Meadville
delegate, an' she says she thought as they could sit together, an' Mrs.
Lupey wanted to go to the city anyway about reducin' her flesh, an' Mrs.
Macy said that was sure to be interestin' for the one as Mrs. Lupey
likes best is the one as you run chains of marbles up an' down your back
alone by yourself, an' Mrs. Macy wanted to see them givin' Mrs. Lupey
full directions for nothin'--she thought it would be so amusin'--an' so
in the end she said she'd go.

"Well, she says foreign folks before they come to this country is wise
compared to her! She was tellin' me all about it this afternoon. I never
hear such a tale--not even from Gran'ma Mullins. She says Elijah sent in
her name an' they filed her next day an' she says they've never quit
sendin' her the filin's ever since. I told you as I heard in the square
she was ge