inutes drinking it
all in, and then went to her dairy.

Alas! one's head may be in rare ether, and one's feet find bad walking
spots at the same time. It was Diana's experience at breakfast.

"How are those pigs getting along, Josiah?" Mrs. Starling demanded.

"Wall, I don' know," was the somewhat unsatisfactory response. "Guess
likely the little one's gettin' ahead lately."

"He hadn't ought to!" said Mrs. Starling. "What's the reason the others
ain't gettin' ahead as fast as him?"

"He's a different critter--that's all," said Josiah stolidly. "He'll be
the biggest."

"They're all fed alike?"

"Fur's my part goes," said Josiah; "but when it comes to the
eatin'--tell you! that little feller'll put away consid'able more'n his
share. That's how he's growd so."

"They are not any of 'em the size they ought to be, Josiah."

"We ain't feedin' 'em corn yet."

"But they are not as big as they were last year this time."

"Don't see how you'll help it," said Josiah. "I ain't done nothin' to
'em."

With which conclusion Mrs. Starling's 'help' finished his breakfast and
went off.

"There ain't the hay there had ought to be in the mows, neither," Mrs.
Starling went on to her daughter. "I know there ain't; not by tons. And
there's no sort o' a crop o' rye. I wish to mercy, Diana, you'd do
somethin'."

"Do what, mother?" Diana said gaily. "You mean, you wish Josiah would
do something."

"I know what I mean," said Mrs. Starling, "and I commonly say it. That
is, when I say anything. I _don't_ wish anything about Josiah. I've
given up wishin'. He's an unaccountable boy. There's no dependin' on
him. And the thing is, he don't care. All he thinks on is his own
victuals; and so long's he has 'em, he don't care whether the rest of
the world turns round or no."

"I suppose it's the way with most people, mother; to care most for
their own."

"But if I had hired myself to take care of other folks' things, I'd
_do_ it," said Mrs. Starling. "That ain't my way. Just see what I
haven't done this morning already! and he's made out to eat his
breakfast and fodder his cattle. I've been out to the barn and had a
good look at the hay mow and calculated the grain in the bins; and seen
to the pigs; and that was after I'd made my fire and ground my coffee
and set the potatoes on to boil and got the table ready and the rooms
swept out. Is that cream going to get churned to-day, Diana?"

"No, mother."

"It's old enough."

"It is