Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/161

 think the neighbors are doin' right when they say we do. And I think it is very unkind and unreasonable of 'em to say that we humor her to death and make a perfect fool of her. It is not so.

But we have more time to spend with her than we did with our children when they wuz little. Then we had to work hard to git along and pay for the place. And Josiah didn't have no time to take Tirzah Ann or Thomas J. onto the plough handle in front of him and let 'em ride round the field with him, and etcetery. And I didn't have time to stop sweepin' and washin' dishes and let 'em play they wuz washin' dishes and sweepin', and so forth and so on.

And we didn't have time, Josiah and me, to let 'em take holt of our hands, one of us on each side of 'em, like the Babes in the Woods, and lead us all over jest where they wuz a mind to—into the woodshed and all over the dooryard, and the barn. But now when Delight is here we are jest the Babes, Josiah and me, to be led off anywhere she wants to lead us.

For things are different now. The farm is paid for, the children are brung up, and well brung up (every-*body admits that). And if little Delight wants to lead round her Grandpa and me she is goin' to lead us, and there hain't nobody goin' to break it up. Good land! we enjoy it as much as she duz. And if she should take it into her little head to lead us off into the woods and cover us up with leaves, it wouldn't be any of the neighbor's bizness, if Josiah and me wuz willin' to be led and covered, as we most probable should be.

I think it is very unkind of the neighbors to say we let her have her own way all of the time, and don't correct her at all. It is not anyways likely it is so, but