]YIXXIXG HER WAY 



13 



the Graliamses. I know wliar onr neigh- 

 bors think of lis, *n" Fm real proud to say 

 Tve hain't got no enemies among "em, "n^ 

 ef any of "em wanted a favor done ^em^ 

 I gness they'd come to onr house fer it 

 as quick's they'd go anywhere. Bnt that 

 hain't anything to do with what I started 

 ont to say. Sense yotfve said what you 

 have, I'm goin' to be plain with ye, "n' 

 tell you what I think "bout the way you 

 treat Mary. I don't s'pose 't'U do any 

 good, but 't"ll show you how'"t looks to 

 other folks." 



"So she's b'en complainin', has she?"' 

 said Miss Betty, with flashing eyes. ^'I 

 thought like's not she would. I s'pose you 

 felt it yer duty to pick "n' pry, '*n' poke 

 yer nose into what don't consarn ye." 



''Mis' Peabody," said Mrs. G-raham, 

 with a simple dignity that had its effect 

 on Miss Betty, ''1 ain't that sort of a per- 

 son. I never meddle. An' I want to tell 

 you this — Mary hain't said a word to me 

 'bout how things go here. Don"t think 

 that for a minnit, fer 'tain't so. But I 

 ain't blind. I may be one o' the 'shif'less' 

 kind" — and here there was another ex- 

 asperating little laugh — '"'but I can see 

 the length o' my nose, 'n' a little b'yond 

 it, 'n' I hain't b'en here goin' on three days 

 'thout seein' how the land lays. I s"pose 

 you'll say it's none o' my b'isness, but that 

 ain't a-goin' to keep me from speakin' 

 right out 'n' savin' what I think. The 

 truth is. Mis' Peabody, you ain't treatin' 

 Mary right. If she grows up with the 

 trainin' she's gettin' now, when she's a 

 woman she'll — she'll" — Mrs. Graham hesi- 

 tated a little as if hardly caring to put 

 the thought she had in mind into plain 

 English, but she finally concluded to do so, 

 regardless of consequences — "'she'll be jest 

 such a person as you be, an' I don't b'lieve 

 you git enough good out o' livin' as you do 

 to think it much of an object to bring 

 other folks up in the same way. That is. 

 you wouldn't think so, if you was honest 



with yourself, as you'd o't to be. Mary's 

 a little girl, 'n' she needs to be treated like 

 one. Children starve, 'n' get - stunted,- 

 when they grow up in a place where folks 

 live who forgit they was ever children 

 themselves. She's a good little girl, 'n' 

 if you love her, 'n' let her know that you're 

 willin' to trust her, 'n' have confidence in 

 her, she'll mal^e a good woman. It's in 

 her to. I know, fer I've bro't up a big 

 fam'ly, 'n' I c"n tell what's in a child, even 

 though I'm one o' the 'shif'less' kind," and 

 here Mrs. Graham's fat sides shook as if 

 the charge of shiftlessness was a joke at 

 her expense which she could enjoy as well 

 as the next one. 'T know you don't like • 

 to hear it, but it's the truth, *n' I feel's 

 ef I o't to speak right out, 'thout mincin' 

 matters. An' I've done it, 'n' it's eased 

 my mind considerable, fer ye can't say I 

 didn't tell ye what / tho't 'bout matters 

 'n' things. I hope you'll take what I"ve 

 said in the sperrit it was said in. I hain't 

 said it out o' spite, or to make hard feelin's 

 — that's the livin' truth, Mis' Peabod^.- — - 

 but because I felt's ef you o't to know how 

 it looks to others, 'n' for Mary's good. 

 It's a dre'tful solemn responsibility to 

 bring up children as they o't to be. Mis' 

 Peabody, 'n' one sh'd feel it that way afore 

 they undertake it. I'm sorry if I've made 

 you mad, but I feel's ef I'd done my duty, x 

 There! I've had my say, 'n' I'm done," 

 aiid Mrs. Graham drew a long breath as 

 of relief, and got uj) and went out into the 

 garden where Mary was, thus preventing 

 Miss Betty from saying the harsh and 

 angry things crowding to her lips. 



"Wall, I nius" say!" she exclaimed, as 

 the door closed between them. "The idee 

 o' one o' the Grahamses a-talkin' to me — 

 to me! — like that I An' not givin' me a 

 chance to say a word back! When she 

 shet that door she might jest as well said, 

 'Shet yer mouth I' It meant that. The 

 idee r 



(To he continued.) 



