to rattle off a string of sentences that fairly took her
hearers' breath away, if not her own.

But Kitty was at her side at once, tenderly removing the great
sun-bonnet from the hot gray head and offering a fan of turkey wings,
gayly decorated with Indian embroideries of beads and weavings.

"No, Kit. No, you needn't. Not while I know myself; there ain't never
no more red man's tomfoolery going to be around me! Take that there
Indian contraption away. I'd rather have a decent, honest cabbage-leaf
any day. I'm beat out. My, ain't it hot!"

"Yes, dear, it is awfully hot. Sit here in the doorway, in this big
chair, and get what little breeze there is. Here's another fan, which
I made myself; plain, good Yankee manufacture. Try that. Then, when
you get cooled off, tell us your 'news.'"

"Cooled off? That I sha'n't never be no more; not while I've got to
cook for all creation."

"Mother Mercy, Mother Mercy! You are a puzzler. You won't let the
people go anywhere else than to your house as long as there's room to
squeeze another body in; and----"

"Ain't it the tavern?"

"Of course. But people who keep taverns usually take pay for
entertaining their guests."

"Gaspar Keith! You say that to me, after the raisin' I gave you? The
idee! When not a blessed soul of the lot has got a cent to bless
himself with."

"But I have cents, plenty of them; and I want you to let me bear this
expense for you. I insist upon it."

"Well, lad, I always did think you was a little too sharp after the
money. But I didn't 'low you'd begrudge folks their _blessings_, too."

"Blessings? Aren't you complaining about so much hard work, and
haven't you the right? I know that no private family has cared for so
many as you have, and----"

"Oh, do drop that! I tell you _I_ ain't a private family; I'm a
tavern. Oh! I don't know what I am nor what I'm sayin'. I--I reckon
I'm clean beat and tuckered out."

"So you are, dear. But rest and I'll make you a cup of tea. If you
leave those people to themselves and they get hungry again they'll
cook _for_ themselves. They'll have to. But to a good many of these
refugees this is a sort of picnic business. They have left their
homes, it's true; but they haven't seen so many human faces in years
and----"

"They haven't had such a good time! I noticed that. They seemed as
bright as children at a frolic. Well, we ought to help them get what
fun they can out of so serious a matter," commented Gaspar.