ll the gray socks whose
destination puzzled David so much went to the Sentners.

As for Josephine herself, she had a good farm, a comfortable house, a
plump bank account, and was an independent, unworried woman. And yet,
in the face of all this, Mrs. Tom Sentner could bewail the fact that
Josephine had no husband to look out for her. Josephine shrugged her
shoulders and gave up the conundrum, merely saying ironically, in
reply to her sister's remark:

"And go to live with Zillah Hartley?"

"You know very well you wouldn't have to do that. Ever since John
Hartley's wife at the Creek died he's been wanting Zillah to go and
keep house for him, and if David got married Zillah'd go quick. Catch
her staying there if you were mistress! And David has such a beautiful
house! It's ten times finer than yours, though I don't deny yours is
comfortable. And his farm is the best in Meadowby and joins yours.
Think what a beautiful property they'd make together. You're all right
now, Josephine, but what will you do when you get old and have nobody
to take care of you? I declare the thought worries me at night till I
can't sleep."

"I should have thought you had enough worries of your own to keep you
awake at nights without taking over any of mine," said Josephine
drily. "As for old age, it's a good ways off for me yet. When your
Jack gets old enough to have some sense he can come here and live with
me. But I'm not going to marry David Hartley, you can depend on that,
Ida, my dear. I wish you could have heard him rhyming off that poetry
last night. It doesn't seem to matter much what piece he
recites--first thing that comes into his head, I reckon. I remember
one time he went clean through that hymn beginning, 'Hark from the
tombs a doleful sound,' and two years ago it was 'To Mary in Heaven,'
as lackadaisical as you please. I never had such a time to keep from
laughing, but I managed it, for I wouldn't hurt his feelings for the
world. No, I haven't any intention of marrying anybody, but if I had
it wouldn't be dear old sentimental, easy-going David."

Mrs. Tom thumped a plucked goose down on the bench with an expression
which said that she, for one, wasn't going to waste any more words on
an idiot. Easy-going, indeed! Did Josephine consider that a drawback?
Mrs. Tom sighed. If Josephine, she thought, had put up with Tom
Sentner's tempers for fifteen years she would know how to appreciate a
good-natured man at his real value.

Th