And that promise to Abner weighed on her conscience, I cal'late.

Anyhow, she petted that blame inventor, and it made me mad.

And yet I didn't say much--not so much as I'd ought to, I guess.

And Bennie D.was always heavin' out little side remarks about Emeline's bein' fitted for better things than she was gettin', and how, when his invention was 'perfected,' HE'D see that she didn't slave herself to death, and so on and so on.

And he had consider'ble to say about folks tryin' to farm when they didn't know a cucumber from a watermelon, and how 'farmin'' was a good excuse for doin' nothin', and such.