You are not stupid, nor awkward, nor very homely either; Billy Bender
says so, and he knows. I saw him this morning, and he talked ever so
much about you. Next fall he's going to Wilbraham to study Latin and
Chinese too, I believe, I don't know though. Henry laughs and says, 'a
plough-jogger study Latin!' But I guess Billy will some day be a
bigger man than Henry don't you?"

Mary was sure of it; and then Jenny proceeded to open her budget of
news concerning the inmates of the poor-house. "Sal Furbush," said
she, "is raving crazy now you are gone, and they had to shut her up,
but yesterday she broke away and came over to our house. Tasso was
with her, and growled so at Henry that he ran up garret, and then,
like a great hateful, threw bricks at the dog. I told Sally I was
coming to see you, and she said, 'Ask her if she has taken the first
step towards the publication of my novel. Tell her, too, that the
Glory of Israel has departed, and that I would drown myself if it were
not for my clothes, which I fear Mrs. Grundy would wear out!'"

Here Rose called to her sister to come down, and accordingly the two
girls descended together to the parlor, where they found Mrs. Lincoln.
She was riding out, she said, and had just stopped a moment to inquire
after Mrs. Mason's health and to ask for a _very few_ flowers,--they
did look so tempting! She was of course perfectly delighted to meet
Mrs. Campbell, and Mrs. Campbell was perfectly delighted to meet her;
and drawing their chairs together, they conversed for a long time
about Mrs. So and So, who either had come, or was coming from Boston
to spend the summer.

"I am so glad," said Mrs. Lincoln, "for we need some thing to keep us
alive. I don't see, Mrs. Campbell, how you manage to live here through