ewin' myself to feed Jathrop Lathrop! 'N' that good egg too. 'N' all
my tea. I declare, but I am aggravated. The fire 's out now 'n'
everythin' 's put away or I'd go 'n' cook you suthin' else, but I'd
never trust that young man to carry it over."

"I ain't hun--" said Mrs. Lathrop.

"It's certainly your good luck 'f you ain't. But to think o' him
havin' the face to eat up your dinner! But he's got the face fr
anythin'. 'F it wasn't f'r hurtin' your feelin's, Mrs. Lathrop, I'd
jus' up 'n' tell you 't, to my order o' thinkin', Jathrop always did
look more like a frog 'n he did like his own father, 'n' I'll take my
Bible oath 't I've told Mrs. Macy that a hunderd times. She says 't he
ain't active enough to remind her o' no frog, but she always owns up
't his eyes 'n' mouth is like one. 'F I was talkin' to any one but
you, I'd say, spot him with green 'n' he could make you a nice livin'
alongside o' the dog-faced boy in a Dime Museum,--'n' never need to
move. As a family, you ain't very lively anyhow, 'n' I ain't much
surprised 't the cow 's gettin' out o' patience. She's been trampin'
aroun' 'n' mooin' a lot this last hour. The minister was walkin' by
with six o' the childern, 'n' the childern come 'n' asked 'f they
could see the cow 't kicked you. I didn't see no good reason why not,
so we boosted 'em all up so 's they'd have a good view o' her through
the little window. The minister quoted 'Wild bulls o' Bashan' 'n'
'Muzzle not the ox 't treadeth out the corn,' 'n' I felt like askin'
him 'f he didn't know a cow when he see one. She looked cross enough
for any Bible talk, though, 'n' Rachel Rebecca was awful scared 'n'
they all begin to cry. I took 'em into my kitchen 'n' give 'em a cooky
apiece, 'n' that smoothed 'em out. The minister was real pleased; he
quoted 'Even as ye did it unto the least o' these, ye did it unto me,'
so I took the hint 'n' give him a cooky too. They was goin' up to Mrs.
Brown's to tea. I must say she 's pretty good to have six o' 'em all
to once."

Mrs. Lathrop twisted wearily.

"C'n you feel your leg?" her friend asked anxiously.

"Yes, I c'n feel--"

"Mrs. Macy was up this afternoon. She says she 's more 'n' more
worried over you. She says it is n't as she don't wish young Dr. Brown
well, 'n' she 's intendin' to call him in sometime herself when she
knows jus' what 's the matter with her 'n' jus' what she 'd ought to
take for it, but she says 't in your circumstances there ain't a mite