at roof as to
fall off any other. I hung the shingles around my neck 'n' put the nails
in my mouth 'n' the hammer down my back, 'n' then I went up the lattice
'n' got over the little window on to the ridge-pole. You know, Mrs.
Lathrop, how simple it all seemed from the ground, 'n' I was to just sit
edgeways from the end of the peak right along up to the hole, but you
've heard me remark afore 'n' I will now remark again as no one on the
ground has any notion of ridge-poles as they really are. A ridge-pole
from the ground, Mrs. Lathrop, looks like it could n't be fell off, but
from itself it feels like it could n't be stuck on to, 'n' I thought I
'd swallow the last one of them nails gaspin' afore I got to the hole.
You saw me tryin' to get to the hole, Mrs. Lathrop, 'n' then you saw me
tryin' to get the hammer. I thought I 'd go somer-settin' head over
heels afore I got it fished out 'n' then there was n't no place to lay
it down!

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, I never shall be able to look back on that day and
hour without a cold conscience. It was certainly a awful time. I took a
nail out of my mouth 'n' a shingle off my neck 'n' made ready to begin.
I took the hammer 'n'--just then--I looked down--'n' if there was n't
the minister 'n' his wife just turnin' in my gate!

"Well, of course, that came nigh to endin' me ever 'n' ever! No
Christian would ever dream of answering her front-door bell from her
back ridge-pole, 'n' I never was one to do nothin' as folks could talk
of. I see it was do or die right then or there 'n' I made a quick slide
for the porch roof. You know what happened, 'n' I never have felt to
forgive the minister, even if it was n't him as drove that unexpected
nail in my roof. Mrs. Lathrop, we 've spoke of this afore, 'n' I 've
said then, 'n' I 'll say now, that in spite of my likin' for you, _no_
one as rocks forever on a cushion can be able to even surmise what it is
to slide quick over a unexpected nail, 'n' so it was only natural that
even in the first hour I never looked for anything from you but Pond's
Extract. But I may remark further--for it 's right you should know--that
nothin' in my whole life ever rasped me worse the wrong way of my hair
than to watch you rockin' that fortnight that I had my choice to stand
up or go to bed, 'n' even in bed I had to get up 'n' get out if I wanted
to turn over. Mr. Shores told Mrs. Macy as probably it was the sun as
had drawed that nail, 'n' all I can say is that I