sometimes overdid it a bit. Primmie, the eagle-eyed, remarked to her
mistress: "Well, all's I can say is that I never see such a change in a
body as there is in Mr. Bangs. He used to be so--so quiet, you know, all
the time, and he is yet most of it. When I used to come along and find
him all humped over thinkin', and I'd ask him what he was thinkin'
about, he'd kind of jump and wake up and say, 'Eh? Oh, nothin', nothin,'
Primmie, really. Er--quite so--yes.' And then he'd go to sleep again, as
you might say. But he don't do so now; my savin' soul, no! This mornin'
when I says, 'What you thinkin' about, Mr. Bangs?' he says, 'Nothin',
nothin', Primmie,' same as usual; but then he says, 'DON'T look at me
like that, Primmie. I wasn't thinkin' of anything, I assure you. Please
don't DO it.' And then he commenced to sing, sing out loud. I never
heard him do it afore and I don't know's I exactly hanker to have him
do it again, 'cause 'twas pretty unhealthy singin', if you ask ME. But
what--"

"Oh, now run along, run along, Primmie, for mercy's sakes! I never heard
any one use so many words and get so little good out of 'em in my life.
Let Mr. Bangs alone."

"_I_ ain't doin' nothin' to him. Lord of Isrul, no! But, Miss Martha,
what started him to singin' all to once? If 'twas somebody else but him
and I didn't know the cherry rum was all gone, I--"

"What? What's that? How did you know the cherry rum was all gone?"

Primmie blinked and swallowed hard. "Why--er--why--er--Miss Martha," she
stammered, "I--I just happened to find it out--er--sort of by accident.
Zach--Zacheus Bloomer, I mean--over to the lighthouse, you know--"

"There, there! Know? Of course I know Zach Bloomer, I should think I
might. Don't be any sillier than the Lord made you, Primmie. It isn't
necessary."

"Well--well, you see, Miss Martha, Zach he was over here one time
a spell ago and--and--Well, we got to--to kind of arguin' with one
another--er--er--arguin', you know."

"Yes, I know. I ought to. Go on."

"Yes'm. And Zach he got to--to bettin', as you might say. And we got
talkin' about--er--cherry rum, seems so. It's kind of funny that we
done it, now I come to think of it, but we did. Seems to me 'twas Zach
started it."

"Um.... I see. Go on."

"Well, we argued and argued and finally he up and bet me there wasn't a
drink of cherry rum in this house. Bet me five cents, he did, and I took
him up. And then I went and got the bottle out of the sou