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Ferget it, Jane. You're like my wife, yer mouth spoils yer cookin'—ef I do say so. Now you got Alec, and he's good an' strong, and soon he'll

Ben Carter, you sit there and tell me I got Alec. [Excitedly.] What about Jim? What about Joe?

Now, Jane—you're such out o' sorts. Don't bring up poor Joe.

Yer hund'ed dollars didn't shut me up. Yer com'permised with Jim.

Ef you will keep throwin' up that accident, why, I'll gie yer my house-room. Naggin' won't bring Joe back.

Ah know it-but if I 'a' killed him, I'd be skeered to call his name.

Killed him! Don't talk like that, Jane. You talk like I killed that boy on pu'pose [shouting], when you know I didn't.

Maybe you didn't kill him on purpose, but killin' is killin'; an' you got off with payin' Jim a hund'ed dollars.

I done what I thought was fair. If you'-all had 'a' gone to law maybe you wouldn't 'a' got nothin'.