Mis' Pettigrove made a beautiful remains."
"I'm glad to hear it. It's the first beautiful thing she ever did make,
I guess!"
"How you talk! Ain't you a leetle hard on Lyddy, Samanthy? She warn't
sech a bad neighbor, and she couldn't help bein' kind o' sour like. She
was born with her teeth on aidge, to begin with, and then she'd ben
through seas o' trouble with them Pettigroves."
"Like enough; but even if folks has ben through seas o' trouble, they
needn't be everlastin'ly spittin' up salt brine. 'Passin' through the
valley of sorrow they make it full o' fountings;' that's what the Psalms
says 'bout bearin' trouble."
"Lyddy warn't much on fountings," said Aunt Hitty contemplatively; "but,
there, we hadn't ought to speak nothin' but good o' the dead. Land
sakes! You'd oughter heard Elder Weekses remarks; they was splendid. We
ain't hed better remarks to any fun'ral here for years. I shouldn't 'a'
suspicioned he was preachin' 'bout Lyddy, though. Our minister's sick
abed, you know, 'n' warn't able to conduct the ex'cises. Si thinks he
went to bed a-purpose, but I wouldn't hev it repeated; so David got
Elder Weeks from Moderation. He warn't much acquainted with the remains,
but he done all the better for that. He's got a wond'ful faculty for
fun'rals. They say he's sent for for miles around. He'd just come from
a fun'ral nine miles the other side o' Moderation, up on the Blueb'ry
road; so he was a leetle mite late, 'n' David 'n' I was as nervous as
witches, for every room was cram full 'n' the thermometer stood at 87 in
the front entry, 'n' the bearers sot out there by the well-curb, with
the sun beatin' down on 'em, 'n' two of 'em, Squire Hicks 'n' Deacon
Dunn, was fast asleep.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110