Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/136

 her white neck and forward as if it loved 'em. Oh, she looks well enough, as I have told her time and agin:

"Anna, if you will only be as good as you look, you will git along first rate." As I sez to her anon or oftener, "Handsome is that handsome duz."

And she sez, "That is jest what Aunt Judith always said, Aunt Samantha."

But I'd look at her all the time with that admirin', appreciative look on my eyebrow that she knew, the witch, jest how pretty I thought she wuz (and I not helpin' it to save my life). Yes, Anna liked me dretful well, which wuzn't so strange when one comes to think how well I liked her. And she told me right out plain and square that her feelin's towards that young Von Crank wuz almost murderous, and she owned up to me that sometimes when he wuz standin' up so straight and stiff she wuz tempted to tip him over, and sez she, "I don't believe he would bend at all, but fall right over straight like a clothes pin or a telegraph pole."

"Well," sez I, "don't try to do that in the parlor, Anna, for if it is so, think of the damage he would do to the furniture on the other side of the room." And I guess I kinder got her mind offen it. But she sez, "You can't bear him yourself, Aunt Samantha, and I know it."

"Well, dear," sez I, "everybody has their own station house in life to fill, and I spoze he has his, or else why should he have a station house?"

Sez she, "He needn't come round me with his mouldy old compliments, for I would rather live with Tom Willis on bread and water than with him in a palace."

Anna loves Tom, loves him as she duz her eyes, and