“For the land’s sake!” sez I, bein’ fairly stunted with the idees she promulgated.
“Yes, you will marry him, and be happy. But you have had a sickness in the past and your line of happiness has been broken once or twice.”
Sez I, “I should think as much; let a woman live with a man, the best man in the world for 20 years, and if her line of happiness haint broke more than once or twice, why it speaks well for the line, that is all. It is a good, strong line.”
“Then you have been married?” says she.
“Yes, Mom,” sez I.
“Oh, I see, down in the corner of your hand is a coffin, you are a widow, you have seen trouble. But you will be happy. The mild, bald gentleman will make you happy. He will lead you to the altar in spite of the light-complected woman with the blue bat on.”
Ardelia Tutt had on a blue hat, the idee! But I let her go on. Thinkses I, “I have paid my money and now it stands me in hand to get the worth on’t.” So she comferted me up with the hope of gettin’ my Josiah for quite a spell.
Gettin’ my pardner! Gettin’ the father of my childern, and the grandparent of my grandchildren! Jest think on’t, will you?
But then she branched off and told me things that wuz truly wonderful. Where and how she got ’em wuz and is a mistery to me. True things, and strange.