Though, as I said, after that first bust of talk with me he seemed inclined to not talk so much, but learn all he could. It wuz as if he had his say out in that first interview. Dretful interestin’ creeter to have round, he wuz—sech a contrast to the inhabitants of Jonesville, Deacon Garvin and the Dankses, etc.
He didn’t stay to our house all the time, as I said, but would take pilgrimages round and come back, and make it his home there.
Wall, it wuz jest about this time that a contoggler come to our house to contoggle a little for me. I wanted some skirts, and some underwaists, and some of Josiah’s old clothes contoggled.
You know, it stood to reason that we couldn’t have all new things for our voyage, and so I had to have some of our old clothes fixed up. You see, things will git kinder run down once in awhile—holes and rips in dresses, trimmin’ offen mantillys, tabs to new line, and pantaloons to hem over round the bottom, and vests to line new, and backs to put into ’em, and etcetery and etcetery.
And, then, you’ll outgrow some of your things, and have to let ’em out; or else they’ll outgrow you, and you’ll have to take ’em in, or sunthin’.
Sech cases as these don’t call for a dressmaker or a tailoress. No, at sech times a contoggler is needed. And I’ve made a stiddy practice for years of hirin’ a woman to come to the house every little while for a day or two at a time, and have my clothes and Josiah’s all contoggled up good.
This contoggler I had now wuz a old friend of mine, who had made it her home with me for some time in the past, and now bein’ a-keepin’ house happy not fur away, had sech a warm feelin’ for me in her heart, that she always come and contoggled for me when I needed a contoggler.
She had a dretful interestin’ story. Mebby you’d like to hear it?
I hate to have a woman meander off into side paths too much, but if the public are real sot and determined on hearin’ me rehearse her history, why I will do it. For it is ever my desire to please.
It must be now about three years sence I had my first interview with my contoggler. And I see about the first minute that she wuz a likely creeter—I could see it in her face.