Year: 1878

l the chance to come again, but the truth was Jake was too mean to have company on account of the extra victuals and I leave it to you, what woman of spunk was going to have company come and give them nothing better than rye bis cults and apple-sauce? So by-and-by she got so she didn't go anywhere but to church-she was professor-and tired out and peaked enough she looked sit ting there in the pew between Jake and his mother.

 "Folks talked, though, how she wore the same bonnet whole year, which wasn't needful for folks in their circum- stances but Lissy kept her own coun- sel, and though twas said she never had one copper to spend and had to go to Jake if she wanted so much as pair of 1 stockings, she told no tales. Si Smith, the boy who worked there, used to tell his mother some things, and Mrs. Smith we was neighbors- she told me, not in the way of gossip, but we both liked Lissy, and kind of mistrnsted she was better off as Lissy Drake than as Mrs. Jacob Wilkes.

 'Si went in all of hurry one day, his mother said, to git hammer out of the closet on the left hand side of the stove, and there set Lissy on a char by the window, her head in her hands, sobbing fit to break her heart.

 "She didn't hear him first, she was so taken up with grieving, but when she did she started up all of futter and actually tried to laugh little. I'm a big baby, S1,' she says, crying for a headache, and with that she burst out crying again and threw her apron over her face. Si said he would have given his only dollar if he could "a said some thing to cheer her, but he could only hurry and get the hammer and go.

 "Mis' Smith said she guessed if Lissy had said she was. crying for heartache she would have come higher the truth.

 Ut was in November that Jake drove over to our house one day-we lived only four mile from the Widder's-and asked me to go over home with him for couple of weeks. Lissy had a boy-baby two weeks old, and wa'n't able to be around yet, which seemed to hurt Jake's feel ings nightly, and Granny was down every day with the fever an ager, and it was killing-time, and everything to see to, and if I'd come he'd do the fair thing by me. Of course went over ; our hogs were killed and saIted, and the sausage and head-cheese made, and I knew Lizzie could get along alone for while, and I calculated I could earn enough for a Sunday suit around for the children. Lissy was ever so glad to see me, and so proud of her baby, which was a big bouncing boy, but could see she was sore in mind about not getting we'll quicker. Jest you never mind, I says, when we were alone together, and don t let me hear another word about your setting up in bed to mend the clothes if you haint earned the right to take it easy for awhile, nobody has; jest pet your baby and be satisfied With that she broke out praising the baby to me. He was so sweet, she said. Did ever see brighter looking child for his age ? Oh, she loved him so he was all her own mothers precious angel ?

 Granny, who had just come in to get some clothes out of the cedar chest, turned around short and sharp, hearing Lissy go on like that.

 "'Don't be a fool,' she said. I thought consid' able of Jake when he was little, but I never said such foolish stuff about him. Some folks lack sense.'

 Lissy only hugged the baby closer and kissed it. She never was hard to talk back.

 ''I wanted to know, when Granny and I were out in the kitchen alone, what the doctor said about Lissy.

 ""Doctor, says Granny, touched like. As if don't know more about sickness than half the doctors Lissy haint the ambition to pick up, that's the whole of it. There IS that baby, two weeks old, and there she is content to lie abed and be waited on, jest now in killing time too! I was up on the ninth day when Jake was baby and did all my work when he wasn't three weeks old.'

 "'All folks aint alike,' I says, con. sid able riled.

 "Poor Lissy, they didn't fuss or fix up anything to tempt her appetite.

 "'She needs some delicacies,' said right out, the next day after she had tried to eat the victuals Granny sent ir to her and failed. Pork and buttermilk aint the fare for her, or rye bread either Git her some chocolate and wheat bread and oranges, I'll answer that she'll never does now

 "'Tut, tut, Becky says Granny, who was frying pumpkin bread on the grid dle. Don't take foolish, fancy notions common victuals was always plenty gooG enough for me, and so they are for LissY if she only thought so. Some folks don know what they want

 , "eCome, come, mother, hurry up witl l that bread, calls Jake, who was a-set , ting drumming his knife on the table I've got to be off with that load of apple jest as soon as l can.

 . "'And don't you forget to buy you ; wife some wheat bread and cake o chocolate and some oranges, when yo, l are in Rye, I said boldly, knowing tn I only way was to take the bull by tn horns. And now, Granny, I'll take tn 7 skillet and poach Lissy an egg may e she'll relish if D