'It would do no good,' she said, 'to be dinging at Oakum; it would only make him worse.'
So the poor soul went on from day to day, doing her best, and always hoping, woman like, that he would be different one of these days; but on this eventful morning her accumulated grievances could no longer be repressed, and as her husband was about to leave the house, only to return at evening in a wretched condition, she ventured to say to him—
'Oakum, don't you think you'd better not go up to the store to-day?'
'Don't I think I'd better not? No, I don't—what makes you ask me?'
'Oh well, I didn't mean no harm; only you have been away so much lately.'
'Well, supposing I have, whose business is that, I want to know?'
'Why nobody's, I suppose; only you know, Oakum, we ain't got nothing in the house but them two fish you brought in this morning; there ain't no meal nor nothing.'
'No meal nor nothing; yes, there is meal: didn't I bring home some yesterday?'
'Well, you know how that was, the pigs got at it.'
'The pigs got at it—then why didn't you take care of it, and not let the pigs get the children's bread?'