his rest o'
nights 'cause he was so put to 't for breath when he laid down. Why it's
an onaccountable fact that when that man died he hadent seen a well day
in fifteen year, though when he was married and for five or six years
after I shouldent desire to see a ruggeder man that he was. But the time
I'm speakin' of he'd been out o' health nigh upon ten year, and O dear
sakes! how he had altered since the first time I ever see him! That was
to a quiltin' to Squire Smith's a spell afore Sally was married. I'd no
idee then that Sal Smith was a gwine to be married to Sam Pendergrass.
She'd ben keepin' company with Mose Hewlitt, for better'n a year, and
everybody said _that_ was a settled thing, and lo and behold! all of a
sudding she up and took Sam Pendergrass. Well, that was the first time I
ever see my husband, and if anybody'd a told me then that I should ever
marry him, I should a said--but lawful sakes! I most forgot, I was gwine
to tell you what he said to me that evenin', and when a body begins to
tell a thing I believe in finishin' on't some time or other. Some folks
have a way of talkin' round and round and round forevermore, and never
come to the pint. Now there's Miss Jinkins, she that was Poll Bingham
afore she was married, she is the tejusest individooal to tell a story
that ever I see in all my born days. But I was a gwine to tell you what
husband said. He says to me, says he, "Silly"; says I, "What?" I dident
say, "What, Hezekier?" for I dident like his name. The first time I ever
heard it I near killed myself a laffin. "Hezekier Bedott," says I,
"well, I would give up if I had sich a name," but then you know I had no
more idee o' marryin' the feller than you had this minnit o' marryin'
the governor. I s'pose you think it's curus we should a named our oldest
son Hezekiah. Well, we done it to please father and mother Bedott; it's
father Bedott's name, and he and mother Bedott both used to think that
names had ought to go down from gineration to gineration. But we always
called him Kier, you know. Speakin' o' Kier, he is a blessin', ain't he?
and I ain't the only one that thinks so, I guess. Now don't you never
tell nobody that I said so, but between you and me I rather guess that
if Kezier Winkle thinks she is a gwine to ketch Kier Bedott she is a
_leetle_ out of her reckonin'. But I was going to tell what husband
said. He says to me, says he, "Silly"; I says, says I, "What?" If I
dident say "what" when he said