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 you want to, and encourage her in sass. I spoze I can let it go." He wuz fairly dyin' to let it go, I knew, he jest worships her. But I continued, for I wuz rousted up in my mind. Sez I:

"Little Delight is in our power, we are physically stronger than she is. We can whip her all day if we want to. But duz it look noble and honorable in us to punish that little mite of a thing for what we do ourselves?"

"I don't do it," sez he.

Sez I, "She is only three years old, she has got everything to learn, she can't endure pain as she can when she is older. She didn't know she had done wrong, and you, instead of reasonin' with her, and settin' her right, skairt her, and hurt her hands, and she wuz actually glad I've no doubt to think that you broke the stove. She thought you wuz unjust, and wuz indignant at that, and surprised and frightened to think you wanted to hurt her, you who had always been so good to her, and loved her so well, and she spoke out quick and impatient, jest as you and I do sometimes, Josiah Allen, and we have had a lifetime to learn patience and endurance."

I see he wuz some convinced, but wouldn't own it, and he sez agin, in a cross tone (about as cross as a cross gut saw, his tone had been like a bayinet or spear), sez he, "She no need to burnt up the world."

Sez I over agin, "She hadn't no idee what she wuz doing, she thought she wuz follerin' her Grandma's doin's and doin' right. But because it hurt your own comfort a little mite"

"A little mite!" sez he, groanin', "and there it wuz full of tragedies, I dare presume to say, and salts and butteries, and burglaries."