“I don’t know about that; I don’t know about her bein’ better off, I did well by her.”
I heerd my pies a sozzlin over in the oven bottom, and I hastened to their rescue, and Solomon started off. The Widder, that clever critter, went to the door, and as he went down the door step, I didn’t hear jest what she said to him—bein’ a turnin’ my pies at the time—but I heerd his answer; it was this:
“I feel better than I did feel.”
I thought considerable that afternoon (to myself) what clever streaks the Widder Doodle did have in her, (considerin’ her sense) when all of a sudden she give me another sample of it. We got to talkin’ about the Sentinal and though my demeanor was calm, and my mean considerable cool, the old question would come up in my mind: “What shall I do with the Widder Doodle; what can I do with a Widder that don’t want to go, and don’t want to stay?”
The question was a goarin’ me (inwardly) the very minute when she spoke up, and says to me that she would stay to home and keep house for me; she wanted to.
But says I, “I hate to have you stay here sister Doodle; I am afraid you’ll git lonesome; you haint seemed to think you could, and I hate to put it on you. You know Thomas J. will be to Jonesville more’n half his time, and our tower will be a long one.” Says I, “visitin’, as we shall all along the way to the Sentinal, it will be the longest tower ever gone off on by us; and I am afraid you’ll be lonesome, sister Doodle; I am awful ’fraid you will.” Says she:
“Sister Samantha I want to be lonesome if it is a goin’ to be any accomodation to you; it will be a real treat to me to be lonesome. I never seemed to feel so willin’ to be lonesome in my hull life before.”
And as she wouldn’t take no for an answer, it was settled that she should stay and keep house. A cleverer critter (considerin’ her sense) never walked the earth than sister Doodle, and so I told Josiah.
