But when I told my errent she brightened up some. But after settin’ down with her for more’n a quarter of a hour, a-questionin’ her in as delicate a way as I could and get at the truth, I found that every single thing that she could do wuz to contoggle.
So I hired her as a contoggler, and took her home with me that night on my way home from Tirzah Ann’s as sech, and kep’ her there three weeks right along.
I see plain that she could do that sort of work by the first look that I cast onto her dress, which wuz black, and old and rusty, but all contoggled up good, mended neat and smooth, and so I see, when she got ready to go with me, wuz her mantilly, and her bunnet; both on ’em wuz old and worn, but both on ’em showed plain signs of contogglin’.
She wuz a pitiful-lookin’ little creeter under her black bunnet, and pitiful-lookin’ when the bunnet wuz hung up in our front bedroom, and she kep’ on bein’ so from day to day, as pale and delicate-lookin’ as a posey that has growed in the shade—the deep shade.
And though she kep’ to work good, and didn’t complain, I see from day to day the mark that Sufferin’ writes on the forwards of them that pass through the valleys and dark places where She dwells. (I don’t know whether Sufferin’ ort to be depictered as a male or a female, but kinder think that it is a She.)
But to resoom. I didn’t say nothin’ to make her think I pitied her, or anything, only kep’ a cheerful face and nourishin’ provisions before her from day to day, and not too much hard work.
I thought I’d love to see her little peekéd face git a little mite of color in it, and her sad blue eyes a brighter, happier look.
But I couldn’t. She would work faithful—contoggle as I have never seen any livin’ woman contoggle, much as I have witnessed contogglin’.
And I don’t mean any disrespect to other contogglers I have had when I say this—no, they did the best they could. But Miss Clark (that wuz the name she gin—Annie Clark), she had a nateral gift in this direction.
She worked as stiddy as a clock, and as patient, and patienter, for that will bust out and strike every now and then. But she sot resigned, and meek, and still over rents and jagged holes in garments, and rainy days and everything.