“I don’t care,” sez he, “what she sez! if she don’t like it she can lump it!”
But I could see that the tippin’ sides wuz done through a mistake, and he wuz tryin’ to cover it up with a mantilly of bravado and boastfulness. I agin kep’ silence for quite a spell, and my next words, so fur as I remember ’em, wuz, “Where is the suller?”
He stood agast and repeated, “The suller!” He looked perfectly dumb-foundered but wuzn’t goin’ to give in he made a mistake, it wuz too mortifyin’ to his pride, so sez he in faint axents:
“I laid out to build it after the house wuz done.” Sez I, “What wuz you goin’ to do with the dirt?”
“Why, I laid out,” sez he lookin’ helplessly round for a excuse, “I laid out to bring it up in baskets,” and he went on brightenin’ up as a idee struck him—“I’ve observed, Samantha, that dirt is handy for house plants, or to plant seeds in the spring of the year.”
Sez I dryly, “I guess three or four hundred wagon loads won’t be needed for house plants, and after Tirzah Ann sees all that dirt lugged up her suller stairs and through her kitchen she won’t have much time or ambition for posies.”
“‘The suller!’ He stood agast, perfectly dumb-foundered but wuzn’t goin’ to give in he had made a mistake. It wuz too mortifying to his pride.” (See page 318)