ked: "Why'd Noble Dill better stay away from here?"

"You' grampaw," Mrs. Silver said, shaking her head. "You' grampaw!"

"What about grandpa?" said Herbert. "What'd he do last night?"

"'Do'? Oh, me!" Then Mrs. Silver uttered sounds like the lowing of kine,
whereby she meant to indicate her inability to describe Mr. Atwater's
performance. "Well, ma'am," she said, in the low and husky voice of
simulated exhaustion, "all I got to say: you' grampaw beat hisse'f! He
beat hisse'f!"

"How d'you mean? How could he----"

"He beat hisse'f! He dess out-talk hisse'f! No, ma'am; I done hear him
many an' many an' many's the time, but las' night he beat hisse'f."

"What about?"

"Nothin' in the wide worl' but dess thishere young li'l Noble Dills whut
we talkin' about this livin' minute."

"What started him?"

"Whut _start_ him?" Mrs. Silver echoed with sudden loudness. "My
goo'niss! He _b'en_ started ev' since the very firs' time he ev' lay
eyes on him prancin' up the front walk to call on Miss Julia. You'
grampaw don' like none nem callers, but he everlas'n'ly did up an' take
a true spite on thishere li'l Dills!"

"I mean," said Herbert, "what started him last night?"

"Them cigareets," said Kitty Silver. "Them cigareets whut thishere Noble
Dills smoke whiles he settin' out on the front po'che callin' on you'
Aunt Julia. You' grampaw mighty funny man about smellin'! You know's
well's I do he don't even like the smell o' violet. Well, ma'am, if he
can't stan' _violet_, how in the name o' misery he goin' stan' the smell
nem cigareets thishere Dills smoke? I can't hardly stan' 'em myse'f.
When he light one on the front po'che, she sif' all through the house,
an' come slidin' right the whole way out to my kitchen, an' _bim_! she
take me in the nose! You' grampaw awready tole Miss Julia time an' time
again if that li'l Dills light dess one mo' on his front po'che he goin'
to walk out there an' do some harm! Co'se she nev' tuck an' pay no
'tention, 'cause Miss Julia, she nev' pay no 'tention to nobody; an' she
like caller have nice time--she ain' goin' tell 'em you' grampaw make
such a fuss. 'Yes, 'deed, kine frien',' she say, she say, when they ast
her: 'Miss Julia, ma'am,' they say, 'I like please strike a match fer to
light my cigareet if you please, ma'am.' She say: 'Light as many as you
please, kine frien',' she say, she say. She say: 'Smell o' cigareet dess
deligh'ful li'l smell,' she say. 'Go 'head an' smoke all you ki