A COMPOSITE FAMILY 257 



our only one, and bright -minded, quick at his 

 book-tasks, in which his mother" (how gently the 

 word was uttered), "havin' been a school- 

 ma'am herself, took pride. His fault 

 was allus seeing things better than they 

 be, or makin' 'em out so, any chance. 



"A good way o' lookin' at things? 

 No, I don't mean bein' jest sort o' 

 cheerful about bothers. 

 That way 's upliftin'. 

 His mother, she was like 

 that. But I mean the 

 stretchin' o' facts 

 till they get so out 

 er shape, no one 

 would know 'em. If 

 he caught a pick'rel, it 

 was allus six when the news 

 got out. Not that thet black- 



, ,. , . WHITE HEAJH 



ened him, cause an increase 



often happens ter fish when 



out er water. But he 'd tell things that had 



no backin' and put folks ter inconvenience. 



'Long about the winter when he was sixteen, 



eggs was terrible skeerce, hadn't had fresh ones 



at the store in two weeks, and the meat peddler 



