"  She 's  layin'  in  a  sog,"  he  said,  hope-
lessly. "  I  ought  to  thought  to  send  word
to  pore  Ezry —  all  the  boy  she  ever  had."

Mrs.  Powder  calmly  removed  her  snowy
outer  garments,  and  tried  to  warm  her  hands
over  the  fire.
202  LAW  LANE.
"  Put  in  a  couple  o'  sticks  of  good  dry
wood,"  she  suggested,  in  a  soothing  voice ;
and  the  farmer  felt  his  spirits  brighten,  he
knew  not  why.  Then  the  whole-souled,
hearty  woman  walked  into  the  bedroom.
"  All  I  could  see,"  she  related  afterward,
"  was  the  end  of  Jane  Barnet's  nose,  and  I
was  just  as  sure  then  as  I  be  now  that  she
was  likely  to  continner ;  but  I  set  down  side
of  the  bed  and  got  holt  of  her  hand,  and  she
groaned  two  or  three  times  real  desperate.
I  wished  the  doctor  was  there,  to  see  if  any-
thing really  ailed  her  ;  but  I  someways
knowed  there  waVt,  'less  't  was  gittin'  over
such  a  jounce.  I  spoke  to  her,  but  she  never
said  nothin',  and  I  went  back  out  into  the
kitchen.  '  She 's  a  very  sick  woman,'  says
I,  loud  enough  for  her  to  hear  me  ;  I  knew
't  would  please  her.  There  was  a  good  deal
to  do,  and  I  put  on  my  aprin  and  took  right
holt  and  begun  to  lay  about  me  and  git
dinner ;  the  men-folks  was  wiltin'  for  want
o'  something  it  being  nigh  three  o'clock.
