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 count on Cicero's help from her talk to me, but 'tennyrate she owned up that it made her sights of trouble.

And I sez to her in the cause of duty, "Tamer Ann, why did you hire a girl that you thought wuzn't likely? Why did you bring such a girl into the house with your children? I wuz never much of a hand to wave fire brands round in piles of tow and flax, or light parlor matches in powder magazines. But, howsumever," sez I, "everybody hain't alike, and I spoze mebby you thought you would git along."

"Yes," sez she, "for I knew we could watch her through the day, and then we always nail her up at night."

"Nail her up!" sez I, agast at the idee, "what do you mean?"

Sez she, "There hain't no lock to her door, but we have got an old door that we set aginst hern and nail it up every night."

"Don't you feel queer while you are doin' it?" sez I, for truly it made me feel queer as a dog jest hearin' it.

"Yes," sez she, "I do feel queer, and specially when we drag her in by moonlight, for she has often tried to run away with Cicero, but we would some on us hear her, and then we would have to go out and drag her back and nail her up."

"Wuzn't it a sight of work?" sez I pityin'ly.

"Yes," sez she, it wuz a sight of work, for she wuz so mean that she would let her feet drag, and they would have to pull her back by main force.

Sez I, "Tamer Ann, it seems to me that it would be easier to wash the dishes and sweep than to do this, and that is about all Arabeller duz anyway."