es, but he didn't like his work
there, 'n' drifted to New York, 'n' then to Boston; 'n' then he
remembered his mother was a State o' Maine woman, 'n' he come here to
see how he liked. We didn't take no stock in him at first,--we never
hed one o' that nigger-tradin' secedin' lot in amongst us,--but he was
pleasant spoken 'n' a square, all-round feller, 'n' didn't git off any
secesh nonsense, 'n' it ended in our likin' him first-rate. Wall, he got
work in the cannin' fact'ry over on the Butterfield road, 'n' then he
fell in with the Maddoxes. You 've hearn tell of 'em; they're relation
to Pitt here."

"I wouldn't own 'em if I met 'em on Judgement Bench!" exclaimed Pitt
Packard hotly. "My stepfather's second wife married Mis' Maddox's first
husband after he got divorced from her, 'n' that's all there is to it;
they ain't no bloody-kin o' mine, 'n' I don't call 'em relation."

"Wall, Pitt's relations or not, they're all wuss 'n the Old Driver,
as yer said 'bout Dan Robinson's wife. Dixie went to board there. Mis
Maddox was all out o' husbands jest then,--she 'd jest disposed of her
fourth, somehow or 'nother; she always hed a plenty 'n' to spare, though
there's lots o' likely women folks round here that never hed one chance,
let alone four. Her daughter Fidelity was a chip o' the old block. Her
father hed named her Fidelity after his mother, when she wa'n't nothin'
but a two-days-old baby, 'n' he didn't know how she was goin' to turn
out; if he 'd 'a' waited two months, I believe I could 'a' told him.
_In_fidelity would 'a' ben a mighty sight more 'propriate; but either
of 'em is too long fer a name, so they got to callin' her Fiddy. Wall,
Fiddy didn't waste no time; she was nigh onto eighteen years old when
Dixie went there to board, 'n' she begun huneyfuglin' him's soon as ever
she set eyes on him. Folks warned him, but 't wa'n't no use; he was kind
o' bewitched with her from the first. She wa'n't so han'some, neither.
Blamed 'f I know how they do it; let 'em alone, 'f yer know when yer
're well off, 's my motter. She was red-headed, but her hair become her
somehow when she curled 'n' frizzed it over a karosene lamp, 'n' then
wound it round 'n' round her head like ropes o' carnelian. She hedn't
any particular kind of a nose nor mouth nor eyes, but gorry! when she
looked at yer, yer felt kind as if yer was turnin' to putty inside."

"I know what yer mean," said Steve interestedly.

"She hed a figger jest like them fas