“Glaston, that’s a fac’,” reiterated Mrs. Jessup, noticing the demonstration, “’kase I see ’Lijah Miles, ez war one o’ the gyards. He kem up ter the cove ter the fun’el, bein’ ez his wife war kin ter the corpse. She war one o’ the Grinnells afore she war married,—not the Jer’miah fambly, but Abadiah’s darter; an’ Abadiah’s gran’mother war own cousin ter the corpse’s mother”—
“I dunno ’bout’n that,” said Mrs. Sayles, following this genealogical detail with a knitted brow and a painstaking attention.
“Corpse war ’bleeged ter hev hed a mother wunst, ef ever he war alive,” said Mrs. Jessup, recklessly.
“I reckon I know that” retorted Mrs. Sayles. “But ’Lijah Miles’s wife’s father’s grandmother war the aunt o’ the corpse, stiddier his mother’s cousin,”—she tossed her head with a cheerful sense of accuracy,—“sure ez ye air a born sinner.”
Mrs. Jessup paused in her recital, leaned her elbows on her knees, and fixed her eyes on the fire, as if following some abstruse calculation. The wind swept about the house and whistled down the chimney, till even Tige roused himself, and lifted his head to listen and to growl.
“Waal, hev it so,” said the young woman, unable to contradict. “Howbeit he war kin ter the corpse, he kem ter the fun’el, an’ arterward, ez he war goin’ back ter Shaftesville, he stopped at Mis’ Purvine’s an’ stayed all night. An’ he tole us ’bout’n takin’ Mink ter jail in Glaston. An’ ’twar the fust Mis’ Purvine knowed ez Mink warn’t out. But she ’lowed she’d miss him less in jail ’n out.”
“I reckon everybody feels that-a-way ’bout Mink,” interpolated Mrs. Sayles. “Folks never knowed what could happen onexpected an’ upsettin’ till Mink’s capers l’arned ’em.”
“Waal, none o’ his capers ever war like this las’ one o’ his’n,” said Mrs. Jessup, nodding seriously. “They tuk him ter Glaston, an’ ’Lijah Miles war one o’ the gyards. They tuk him on the steam-kyars.”
“I’ll be bound Mink war fairly skeered by them steam-kyars!” exclaimed Mrs. Sayles, with all the assumption of superior experience, although she herself had never had a glimpse of them.
“Waal, I reckon not, from the way he kerried on ’cordin’ ter ’Lijah,” said Mrs. Jessup, clasping one knee as she talked, eying the fire. “’Lijah ’lowed he never seen sech a fool. Mink got ter talkin’ ter the gyards an’ dep’ty ’bout this hyar Jedge Gwinnan”——