Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/174

 "She didn't do it by axident, she done it a purpose, and her burnin' up the world wuzn't the worst of it, she wuz sassy about it, and ort to be spanked for sass." I gin him a stem look and kind o' shot up my lips clost together and tossted my head a very little, but didn't say a word. But he resented it for all the world as if I had spoke, and there I hadn't said a word.

"Well, I say she had! she ort to be spanked for burnin' up the world, and she ort to be spanked for sass. But you can uphold her if you want to."

"I hain't said a word of upholdin'."

"Well, you encourage her in it, and you know you do."

"Encourage her! Josiah Allen!"

"Yes, you uphold her in burnin' up the world, and you uphold her in sass."

"Have I said a word, Josiah Allen?"

"You tossted your head, you know you did."

"Well," sez I mildly, "things have got to a strange pass if pardners can't crook their necks a little when they are makin' up spare beds. And," sez I in still more gentle axents, as I patted the mattress and spread a light-*colored comfortable over it, under the sheets, "tell me all about it, Josiah."

"Well, I stepped out into the back kitchen to look for a file, and when I come back she wuz jest burnin' up the world, jest puttin' it into the stove."

"She see me start the fire with an old World yesterday mornin', and she thought she wuz follerin' her Grandma's doin's and doin' right."

"Uphold her if you want to! and uphold her for sass!"

"What wuz the sass?" sez I mildly.