White discoursed on 's a
faithful handmaid, 'cause he did n't want to have to alter her after he
'd got her all copied. He said there was the choice o' a bondwoman o'
the Lord 'n' a light in Israel, too. We had to go 'n' holler the deacon
a long time, 'n' finally we found him out settin' a hen. I did n't think
's he 'd ought to 'a' set a hen the day o' his wife's funeral--I did n't
think much o' settin' hens any time; it's set 'n' set, 'n' then half the
time all you get is a weasel.
"Well, he come in at last, 'n' he would n't hear o' havin' his wife
called a handmaid, 'cause, he said, it was him 's had always done all
the work. The minister said it was astonishin' what 'Liza Em'ly could
get through in a mornin', 'n' then he coughed; 'n' Mrs. Macy said 't
'Liza Em'ly was very helpful for a child o' her age, 'n' then she
coughed; 'n' then the deacon went back to his hen, 'n' the minister
sighed 'n' went, too."
Mrs. Lathrop herself sighed as Susan paused.
"I remember--" she said slowly.
"It was a nice funeral, though," her friend continued; "I never see a
nicer one, even if Mrs. White was n't able to look after nothin'
herself. Mr. Kimball got down to business like it 'd always been his
business, 'n' the way he hustled things through was a lesson to them 's
takes a whole afternoon to one member of a family. He took all the
table-leaves 'n' laid 'em from chair to chair, so 's everybody had a
seat; 'n' then, 's folks come in, he had Billy hand 'em each a fan with
his advertisement on one side 'n' two rows o' readin' on the other, so
's no one got dull waitin'.
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